In this episode of HIV unmuted, host Juan Michael Porter II sits down with Jeanne Marrazzo, the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), in a conversation that goes beyond the headlines and deep into the heart of HIV research and advocacy.

Dr Marrazzo, a leader with decades of experience in infectious disease research, shares her inspiring journey from her roots in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to her groundbreaking work in HIV prevention and care. Through this intimate conversation, listeners will discover what drives Dr. Marrazzo’s commitment to equity, diversity and community-centered research, and how her personal and professional experiences shape her vision for the future of HIV science.

From the challenges of addressing global health inequities to the optimism surrounding new HIV prevention methods, Dr Marrazzo offers valuable insights into the importance of inclusive messaging, the power of collaboration, and why putting people first remains
at the core of her mission.

Tune in to hear how Jeanne Marrazzo plans to navigate the evolving landscape of global health as she leads NIAID into a new era, and why she believes that hope, innovation, and community are key to overcoming the ongoing challenges in the HIV response.

Meet our guest:

Jeanne Marrazzo

Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA, is the Director of NIAID at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), where she oversees a USD 6.3 billion budget that supports research to advance understanding, diagnosis and treatment of infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases. She was previously the C. Glenn Cobbs Endowed Chair and Director of Infectious Diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine. She is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and was Treasurer of the IDSA from 2021 to 2023, having served on the board since 2018. She researches the vaginal microbiome, sexually transmitted infections and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. She has had leadership roles in the NIH HIV Prevention Trials Network and the Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Consortium. She was a leading voice in communicating science during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meet our host:

Juan Michael Porter II

Juan Michael Porter II is a health journalist, HIV advocate, culture critic, educator and the host of HIV unmuted, the IAS podcast. He is the Senior Editor of TheBody.com and TheBodyPro – and the first person openly living with HIV to hold the position. Juan Michael's reportage combines data dives, personal narratives and policy analyses to address the real-world consequences of ever-shifting legislation on people's health outcomes. He has written for the Public Broadcasting Service, SF Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor, NY Observer, TDF Stages, Playbill, American Theatre, Time Out NY, Queerty, Anti-Racism Daily, Positively Aware, Documentary Magazine, SYFY Wire, Scholastic and Dance Magazine.

This episode of HIV unmuted introduces a new host and format for the award-winning IAS podcast. Our host, Juan Michael Porter II, the Senior Editor for TheBody/TheBodyPro, takes a deep dive with a single guest in an intimate conversation that gives the listener a glimpse of the guest – who they are and how they got into this work – and an understanding of their topic of expertise.

This new format opens with Sharon Lewin, the IAS President and AIDS 2024 International Co-Chair, walking us through the latest HIV science released at AIDS 2024, the 25th International AIDS Conference, and what it means for the HIV response. This episode delves into a broad range of exciting science, from long-acting injectables to new research on doxycycline prophylaxis to advances in cure research, including inspiration from the “next Berlin Patient”.

Through the lens of her personal story, Sharon walks us through the context and challenges of the HIV response, such as changing global health priorities and reduced funding for HIV. Astounding progress has been made in the HIV response. Yet, we are still missing critical targets. Sharon makes it clear that if we are to envision the end of the HIV pandemic, we must address persisting inequalities that remain in the HIV response: we must put people first.

Meet our guest

Sharon Lewin
The IAS President and AIDS 2024 International Co-Chair, Sharon Lewin, is an infectious diseases physician and basic scientist and has worked in HIV-related clinical medicine and research for over 25 years. She is Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, a joint venture of the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The Doherty Institute has over 850 staff working on infection and immunity through research, education and public health, and has a significant focus on virology, including HIV. She is an active clinician, working at the Alfred Hospital and Royal Melbourne Hospital, and a Melbourne Laureate Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne.

Meet our host

Juan Michael Porter II
Juan Michael Porter II is a health journalist, HIV advocate, culture critic, educator and the host of HIV unmuted, the IAS podcast. He is the Senior Editor of TheBody.com and TheBodyPro – and the first person openly living with HIV to hold the position. Juan Michael's reportage combines data dives, personal narratives and policy analyses to address the real-world consequences of ever-shifting legislation on people's health outcomes. He has written for the Public Broadcasting Service, SF Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor, NY Observer, TDF Stages, Playbill, American Theatre, Time Out NY, Queerty, Anti-Racism Daily, Positively Aware, Documentary Magazine, SYFY Wire, Scholastic and Dance Magazine.

On this World AIDS Day, the IAS calls on the HIV response to put communities first. This episode of HIV unmuted, the award-winning IAS podcast, puts the spotlight on a specific community that is often overlooked: people growing older with HIV.

Remarkable strides in medicine and science have transformed the HIV response since the impact of AIDS-related illnesses in the 1980s, which claimed many lives prematurely.

Thanks to access to life-saving treatments and proper care, it is now possible for people living with HIV to live into old age – something that was inconceivable 40 years ago.

Globally, UNAIDS estimates a significant increase in people aged 50 years or older living with HIV – from 5.6 million in 2015 to 9.4 million in 2022. This generation now faces unprecedented and unique HIV-related health issues.

In this special episode, we hear from people who have been living with HIV for more than 20 years, unravel the scientific dimensions of ageing, and discover how we can put communities first in the HIV response to address the challenges of growing older with HIV.

On this World AIDS Day, we will never forget those we have lost in the HIV response, and we will never truly address the issues of growing older with HIV until we put communities first. For more information, go to the IAS World AIDS Day webpage www.iasociety.org/WAD2023

Meet our guests:

• Jules Levin, Founder of the National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project, offers a first-hand perspective on navigating four decades living with HIV.
• Reena Rajasuriar, Associate Professor at the University of Malaya and principal investigator for the Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS at the University of Malaya, unpacks the scientific complexities of the ageing process for people living with HIV.
• Lillian Mworeko, Executive Director at the International Community of Women living with HIV Eastern Africa and advocate from Uganda who has been living with HIV for 25 years, shares insights on prioritizing communities.