Alumni webinar #2: Improving Health Related Quality of Life of People living with HIV as strategy to fight HIV/AIDS?
21/10 - 21/10/2021

This new series of ITM alumni webinars features the four ITM winners of the Prize for Global Research 2021. This Prize is awarded yearly by the Province of Antwerp to research projects of ‘master-after-master’-students of ITM and other Higher Education Institutes.

21 October, 13:00 – 14:00 Brussels Time
Register for the Zoom here.

In webinar #2, MPH-alumna and laureate Tatiana Nti Mvilongo (Cameroon) will present her master thesis, entitled «The “4th 90” target as a strategy to improve health-related quality of life, of people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review».

Considering the challenges faced by people living with HIV (PLHIV) amidst HIV-related stigma and discrimination, Tatiana Nti Mvilongo was aware that ensuring good outcomes across the HIV continuum of care (like the 90:90:90 targets: diagnosing 90% of people living with HIV, linking 90% of them to care and achieving supressed viral load among 90% of them) was not enough. Since these targets have not been achieved in sub-Saharan Africa, she was puzzled by the role that good health-related quality of life (HrQoL) could play in achieving better HIV outcomes.

Through a scoping review, Tatiana explored the evidence that supports strategies aimed at improving HrQoL for adults living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa. Her analysis was guided by a WHO framework that captures the multidimensional nature of HrQoL.

In this webinar, Tatiana’s research findings will be the starting point for a topical exchange and discussion tackling a number of questions. Why should be more focus put on patient-reported outcomes such as HrQoL? Which are the issues raised on a potential 4th 90 target and how should it be measured? Which are effective ways to engage the civil society or to reduce discrimination at the health facilities? How to effectively address the gap in environmental related interventions & policies?

The Q&A-session, moderated by Tatiana’s thesis coach and HIV-expert Christiana Nöstlinger, will enable to share topical experiences in other international settings.