"Overcoming inequality: Women and HIV-an international imperative" is focus for International Women's Day symposium on March 8th

The UCSF AIDS Research Institute will sponsor a symposium addressing the need to consider gender inequality and to incorporate both economic and educational initiatives for women into efforts to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The symposium will open with the announcement of a new initiative for preventing the spread of HIV. The symposium and the announcement will take place on International Women's Day, March 8, 2001.

MEDIA ARE INVITED TO COVER:

DATE: Thursday, March 8, 2001

TIME: 10:00 am to Noon

LOCATION: The Westin St. Francis 2nd Floor, California West Conference Room 335 Powell Street, San Francisco

THE PROGRAM IS AS FOLLOWS:

--The Social and Economic Context of Women's Risk for HIV: A Five Point Plan Offering an Essential New Approach for Prevention

Nancy Padian, PhD, Director of International Programs, UCSF AIDS Research Institute and the Center for Global Research on Women's Health.

Current HIV prevention programs fail to address gender inequality and look at HIV prevention in isolation, separate from other issues of women's reproductive health. Padian will issue a Call to Action insisting that HIV prevention programming include economic and educational opportunities for women.

---Keynote Address: A Matter of Life and Death: Women, Inequality, and HIV/AIDS.

Geeta Rao Gupta, PhD, President, International Center for Research on Women, Washington, DC.

Gupta will demonstrate how the AIDS epidemic is fueled by the inequity between women and men, and will build a compelling case for the need to empower women in all aspects of their lives if we expect HIV prevention programs to succeed.

---"A Dream Deferred: Africa's AIDS Crisis", Excerpts from the CNN Documentary

Charlayne Hunter-Gault, correspondent for the documentary and CNN bureau chief, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The documentary will be introduced by Hunter-Gault live via video link from Johannesburg. After the excerpted documentary is shown, she will take questions from the audience about the documentary.

---HIV and Women: The South African Challenge

Kim E. Dickson-Tetteh, BSc, MBChB, MScMCH, DFFP, Public Health Physician, Reproductive Health Research Unit, University of Witswaterand, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The unique challenges of HIV prevention and care as well as reproductive health for women in South Africa will be discussed by Dickson-Tetteh. The issues of violence against women will be one focus of this talk.

---HIV in Zimbabwe: One Woman's Story

Prisca Nyakumtombwa, Counselor and woman living with HIV, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Living with HIV in Zimbabwe presents unique challenges given the enormous social stigma and little legal protection. Nyakumtombwa also counsels other women living with HIV and will speak to some of the challenges specific to Zimbabwe but also to the need for women to come together for support.

---The Center for Young Women's Development: A Model Program for Young Women at Risk

Marlene Sanchez, Director of Programs, Center for Young Women's Development, San Francisco.

The Center for Young Women's Development is a program focused on young women and adolescent girls at risk. The program is run by the young women and girls themselves and is offered as a model of empowerment.

---Closing Address: The Center for Global Research on Women's Health

Nancy Padian, PhD, Director of International Programs, UCSF AIDS Research Institute and the Center for Global Research on Women's Health.

The Center is a new initiative aimed at creating specific programming linking HIV prevention, reproductive health, and educational and economic opportunity.

Media who would like to cover the UCSF International Women's Day Symposium or arrange interviews should call Jeff Sheehy in the UCSF News Office at 415-597-8165.

A live HealthCast will be available courtesy of kaisernetwork.org, a free health policy webcasting and news summary service of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Visit http://www.kaisernetwork.org/healthcast/ucsfhivwomenmar2001 at 10:00 AM (PST).