Posted on: 16 November 2022

Please note: This webinar on 2 December has now been postponed.


Join our webinar- open to all - on The Forgotten History of HIV and HIV prevention methods. 1pm to 2pm on 2 December 2022

Chris Sandford, CNWL Governor and Trustee of The Bloomsbury Network has lived with HIV for over 40 years – since the beginning of the HIV pandemic. 

His personal experience of love and loss is interwoven with the shocking history of how society demonised the LGBTQ+ community and how the community fought back. It also helps to explain how misinformation created the climate of fear and stigma still associated with HIV today.  

He will take you on a journey from the early days when HIV was a death sentence to the opening of the first specialist ward by Princess Diana; from the advent of effective medication to the present day - when HIV is considered a manageable condition.... if you have access to medication. 

Nowadays, people living with HIV can have sexual relations without passing on the virus, can become mothers and fathers, are protected by the law and will have a normal lifespan. Chris is happy to be alive today!

Prevention methods used today – PrEP

Following this Dominic Reilly, CNWL’s PrEP Programme Manager, will lead a discussion about the prevention methods used today – mainly PrEP.

PrEP stands for pre-exposure prophylaxis, a medicine people at risk of HIV can take to prevent them from getting HIV. Dominic will explain who PrEP is for, how to access it and take it. He’ll also explain the different between PrEP and PEP which is taken after a potential exposure to the virus. 

The event is hosted by Dr Chris Wilson, Co-Chair of CNWL’s LGBT+ Staff Network (Pride@CNWL) and Harrow’s Lead Older Adult Psychologist

About the speakers

IMG_1298.JPGChris Sandford BA Hons, MA, PGCE

Chris worked for the NHS at the Mortimer Market Centre -  one of the largest HIV clinics in Europe and a major research centre – where he led the team offering  peer support, advocacy and education to 2000 patients a year. 

Since retiring in 2019 he has become Education Director of The National HIV Story Trust, a Governor of Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust,  is a Trustee of two HIV charities, a member of the UK Community Advisory Board and the Institute of Global Health. He has made many media appearances, presented at international conferences  and lectures widely- including University College London Medical School, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, New York and Oslo universities, schools, colleges and universities throughout the UK. 

 

Dominic Reilly - PrEP Manager Thumbnail image.pngDominic Reilly joined CNWL in November 2021 and works with local communities in London to promote awareness, understanding, and uptake of PrEP. He’s passionate about PrEP’s potential to help empower patients to take control of their health and sex lives. Previously he worked at the Terrence Higgins Trust, where he managed projects focused on health promotion and health inequalities research. He has a PhD in Psychosocial Studies, and a particular interest in lived experiences of ‘race’, sexuality, and their intersections.

 

ImageThe webinar is hosted by Dr Chris Wilson, Co-Chair of CNWL’s LGBT+ Staff Network, Pride@CNWL. Chris is also Harrow’s Lead Older Adult Psychologist.