| 15.07.2022
Effective HIV Prevention: The indispensable role of socio-behavioural science in adolescent sexual and reproductive health
PRESENTER: Dr Hilton Humphries
DATE: Wednesday, 20 July 2022
TIME: 10h00 – 11h00 (CET)
ZOOM LINK: https://ukzn.zoom.us/j/98392328975?pwd=N042NDZsUWl1b3dtMmtYQkZ4cElyQT09
MEETING ID: 983 9232 8975
PASSCODE: 164790
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Dr Hilton Humphries is a registered Research Psychologist and holds a PhD in Public health. He has worked in HIV Prevention research for 13 years, and is a Senior Research Specialist at the Human Science Research Council. His research focuses on the role biological, psychological, relational and social factors play in mediating the pathways of risk behaviours, especially in relation to HIV and other sexual and reproductive health outcomes. His research aims to broaden our understanding of the ecological context in which young people live and how this impacts their health and well-being in the real-world. Humphries is also a member of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) Biomedical Ethics Committee, and a honourary lecturer in Psychology at UKZN, South Africa.
PRESENTATION OUTLINE:
Preventing negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes amongst adolescent girls and young women is a global health priority. However, sexual and reproductive health outcomes are strongly influenced by the context in which they are made – characteristics like personal bias, partners, families and socio-cultural norms. This context can serve to build the resilience of vulnerable groups, or serve to enhance their risk. With the expansion of biomedical technologies to prevent HIV, and improving access to other SRH services globally, it will be critical that the effectiveness of these biomedical technologies is enhanced by complementary socio-behavioural research. This talk will discuss some of the factors that impact risk pathways and how these extend beyond the individual, mediated by biological, relational, familial, social-cultural and structural level factors. Further the talk will discuss some of the important ways that socio-behavioural science can inform the design of future SRH interventions.