Dorlim Moiana Uetela

Panelists discussed the focal areas of Implementation Science (IS), initiatives to support it, examples of best practices, and plans to train implementation scientists. The Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) impact awards and the journal new feature were also presented, as well as an example of IS in action.

In this session, moderated by Kenneth Mayer from Fenway Health, USA, the panelists were Dianne Rausch from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), USA, Yazdan Yazdanpanah from ANRS, France, Geoffrey Garnett from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, USA, and Angeli Achrekar from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), USA. All panelists were unanimous on the need to focus on engaging the community and developing strategies to offer what they want and need. Dr Rausch highlighted the need to involve communities to do science from the beginning. Dr Achrekar stated that PEPFAR supports real-time programmatic implementation science, and Dr Garnett shared the community delivery of HIV self-testing in South Africa as an example of IS in practice. Dr Yazdanpanah shared his concern with the decreasing interest in HIV among the new generation in France, and Dr Achrekar stressed the need to strengthen local capacity in developing countries. The Executive Editor of JIAS, Marlene Bras, presented the winners of the JIAS impact award and introduced Field Notes as the new feature of this journal. Nittaya Phanuphak from Thailand presented a Field Note recently published in JIAS, and Emmah Owidi presented an example of IS in action in Kenya.

The session highlighted the progress archived in the IS field and the challenges that need to be addressed to effectively cover the know-do gap related to HIV. Innovative programs and real time monitoring and surveillance are encouraged and needed for a successful use of IS to address the communities’ need related to HIV.