2010
Overcoming Stigma and Discrimination Project - Dissemination Event, New Delhi India
The Overcoming Stigma and Discrimination Project (OSD Project), a joint collaboration between the Nossal Institute, Project Orchid and Emmanuel Hospital Association, and supported by Avahan, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, held an end of project dissemination workshop in Delhi on October 21st, 2010. The workshop brought together project staff, media producers, members of the People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) networks and protagonists of OSD films to speak on the Project experience to those involved in HIV prevention programs at a national level.
Aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination around HIV and AIDS in the North East Indian states of Manipur and Nagaland, the OSD project used a mix of mass media messaging and community-based interpersonal communication sessions to reach a wide audience across the two states. The OSD Project trained and supported local media producers to create culturally tailored media materials which were then translated and broadcast in eleven local dialects. Church leaders, women’s groups, youth groups, policy makers, PLHIV networks, and other community members played an important role in the media development and community pre-testing process. Media materials appeared on local television, radio, in newspapers and on posters throughout Nagaland and Manipur. Interpersonal Communications (IPC) teams conducted sessions with a range of media materials to rural “media dark” districts across both states. Response in both states has been overwhelmingly positive and in Nagaland, the State AIDS Control Society has agreed to take on materials produced by the OSD project for future use.
Local film makers also worked with PLHIV individuals to tell their stories through documentary films which were broadcastlocally and submitted to 
national and international film festivals where several have won recognition and awards. Shingnaba (The Challenge), a film profiling the story of an HIV positive man who won the “Mr. Manipur” bodybuilding title after starting ARVs in 2007, won the “Best Exploration/Adventure film at the 56th National Film Awards in 2009. Going the Distance , a film on the courage of an HIV positive women and her family, has been selected to screen at the prestigious 2010 Indian Panorama of International Film Festival.
The Joint Secretary of the Indian National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) was present at the final dissemination event as were representatives from several bilateral and multilateral organizations with a presence in India. Guests viewed clips from films, public service announcements and radio spots, and heard directly from media producers and community members on the process of developing and disseminating the materials across the two states. OSD produced materials were distributed and will be available on the Nossal website soon.
An OSD poster in Lotha, a Naga dialect, on display
Manipuri film maker Sunzu speaks on his experience making “The Challenge”, a documentary about a PLHIV’s journey to win the Mr. Manipur bodybuilding title.
'Academia, Advocacy & Action' - Audio of Seminar
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Listen to this interesting debate featuring influential HIV/AIDS Researcher and Health Economist, Prof. Alan Whiteside, alongside Prof. Melanie Wakefield, tobacco control research; ethicist, Rufus Black and Dr. Kate Taylor of the Nossal Institute recorded on 25 October 2010. Photo (left to right): Prof. Rob Moodie (standing), Dr. Kate Taylor, Rufus Black, Prof. Melanie Wakefield, Prof. Alan Whiteside. To listen, click "play button". |
6th Annual Nossal Institute Global Health Forum
Thursday 2 September, Bio 21 Institute
The Millenium Development Goals 2000 - 2015. Can NGOs and academia help 
to get us there?
This one day Forum follows the 63rd United Nations Annual Department of Public Information (DPI)/Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) Conference held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre entitled "Advance Global Health:Achieve the MDGs". The Forum also comes just three weeks before the UN General Assembly Summit on the Millenium Development Goals.
Full Forum Program | Forum Overview
Seminar on HIV, Drugs and Mental Health
The Melbourne International Mental Health Program in collaboration with The Nossal Institute hosted the HIV, Drugs & Mental Health Seminar on Thursday 29 July to bring together a range of expertise to help begin a process to indicate directions for the development of guidelines for donors, relevant UN agencies, national health and security sectors.
Report from a seminar: The intersection of HIV, illicit drugs, mental health and human rights in Asia - 6th August 2010
HIV prevention and care work in Asia takes us to issues of mental health and drugs, especially injecting but latterly the rise and impact of methamphetamines. The exponential increase in the use of methamphetamine has also highlighted the inadequacies of treatment protocols for licit or illicit drugs. At issue is the use of detention centres without physical or mental health preadmission assessments to determine the individual health interventions that may or may not be required. Furthermore, the current approach not only has implications for mental health but for HIV prevention and care, human rights and the ongoing dialogue between the health and security sectors.
There is accumulating evidence of significant barriers to HIV treatment that mental illness and drug use create. A recent study of over 10,000 individuals in a HIV research network demonstrated that 59% had either a mental illness a drug use problem or both. Those individuals with both mental illness and drug use had the lowest uptake of HIV treatment and those who were on treatment had the lowest suppression of viral load.
In holding this seminar we explored the issue of drug treatment in Asia through an HIV, human rights, mental health and appropriate drug treatment response framework. The main agenda items included:
- the underlying issues related to drug use in Asia (licit – especially alcohol and minor tranquillisers – and illicit) and examination of the mental health consequences and epidemiology of problematic drug use, such as dependence, depression and acute psychosis;
- the lack of supportive mental health services as a barrier to the systemic introduction of antiretrovirals, chronic hepatitis medicines in the context of dual diagnoses and co-infection of HIV and Hepatitis C; and
- the need for mental health training for police who are generally the first people responding to issues of illicit drug use.
This seminar was an activity under the banner of the Melbourne International Mental health program bringing together expertise across the University of Melbourne. We held this seminar to bring together a range of expertise to help begin a process to indicate directions for the development of guidelines for donors, relevant UN agencies, national health and security sectors. In addition, we hope that having brought this expertise together we can go on to form strategic partnerships which can explore research and advocacy opportunities with stakeholders in the Asian region.
Presentations:
Prof Graham Brown and Prof Ian Everall | Prof Nick Crofts | Dr Nicole Lee
Ms Catherine Esposito | Dr Nicholas Thomson | Dr Harry Minas
Assoc Prof Chee Ng | Mr Greg Denham | Mr Greg Armstrong
AMS Conference 2010
Seven undergraduate medical studies who completed their Advanced Medical Science (AMS) year in International Health at the Nossal Institute for Global Health, presented their research projects in a one-day conference on 27 May. The students conducted research in Lao PDR, Vietnam and the Burma-Thai Border, on health issues ranging from dengue fever, contraception, drug use, antiretroviral therapy, immunisation, intimate partner violence to charcoal fuel and respiratory health in refugee camps.
Two students from the 2008-9 cohort, Jane Karmouche and Jasmine Pillai, who achieved the same highest overall mark for the year, were presented with prizes on the same occasion. Both did their research in Nepal. Their respective research topics were “The curse of the snake—experiences of impairment secondary to leprosy infection: a qualitative study in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal”, and “Nepali success stories—an exploration of successful participation in individuals affected by leprosy, Nepal.”
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| Jane Karmouche (right) and Jasmine Pillai (centre), with Professor Graham Brown at the prize giving ceremony. |
AMS in International Health, Class of 2009-10: |
Vietnam-Australia Oral Health Symposium - 23 April 2010
Health professionals gathered in Melbourne to discuss collaborations in Vietnam and Australian oral health.
Hosted by the Oral Health CRC in association with the Nossal Institute for Global Health, the symposium highlighted the achievements in existing collaborations between Vietnamese and Australian health professionals.
Dr John Rogers, conference chair and researcher with the Oral Health CRC, said there is growing evidence on the link between dental disease and systemic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
“A focus on oral health including disease prevention and early intervention has flow-on effects to the general well-being of the population,” said Dr Rogers.
“We were fortunate to have excellent presentations from Dr Martha Morrow and Dr Nick Crofts from the Nossal Institute who shared valuable information for oral health practitioners considering projects in Vietnam.”
Dr Rogers said while there are many differences between the two countries, the oral health issues faced are remarkably similar.
“Tooth decay affects over 50% of six year olds in both countries”, Dr Rogers said.
“The approaches to dealing with these oral health problems are similar – we all seek to prevent oral disease and manage existing conditions in a timely and quality fashion.”
Vietnamese keynote speakers at the conference included A/Professor Trinh Dinh Hai and Dr Ngo Dong Khanh.
“Dr Hai and Dr Khanh were generous in sharing their thoughts on future collaborations that could benefit both Australia and Vietnam,” said Dr Rogers.“In particular, there is a need for collaboration on a new national oral health survey for Vietnam, and supporting student exchange between the two countries.”