A Chance of a Lifetime: A Recap from AIDS 2024

Submitted on Sep 3, 2024

Kimberly Canady with logos for AIDS 2024 and The Well Project.

By Kimberly Canady

AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, convened July 22-26, 2024, in Munich Germany, showcasing exciting community-led innovations alongside scientific breakthroughs and game changers. Two members of The Well Project's community advisory board made their way to Munich to experience the conference's unparalleled energy – and often-complicated dynamics – firsthand. Read on for one perspective on AIDS 2024 – and scroll down the page for more.

In the beginning of the summer I knew two things for certain: The first one was, I was definitely going on a family and a couples' trip; and the second was that I would be on somebody's beach. Never did I think that I would get the opportunity to not only go to Germany to attend the International AIDS Conference, but to present at the conference as well. I thought it was not in the cards, the plans, or even in my list of things to do.

I had the pleasure of participating in a symposium that explored the essential treatment selection criteria to help people with HIV and healthcare systems to achieve long-term success. The goal was for the attendees to hear the perspectives of both experienced healthcare professionals and community members, with discussion focused on how each criterion can help guide confident decision-making in the clinic and in the health systems to fight the HIV epidemic. In layman's terms: How can we help them help us stay on treatment and what are some of the barriers?

Kimberly Canady and others at AIDS 2024.

The best part of being able to sit on the panel, besides being able to travel to Germany for FREE, was the fact that I was able to talk about women's health, sex, and pleasure on the panel. I had already been at the conference for a few days and didn't see that much representation on the topic, so I wanted to make sure that I was the representation on this topic.

I was able to connect to people on an international level and talk openly about the lack of conversations in healthcare around sexual pleasure and body autonomy. The fact that I had two teenage girls and their dad come to me after my session and share that this is something they want to learn more about really made me feel that I was on the right side of healthcare.