HIV

• RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, taking place March 3-9, will feature streaming discussions focusing on HIV/AIDS and Black Americans.
• National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, live streaming series, March 4-6, 2024.
• Despite significant advances in HIV prevention and treatment methods, Black Americans represent 43% of new HIV diagnoses even though they are just 12% of the population.
• The Balm In Gilead, Inc. is a 36-year-old organization whose mission is to equip faith communities serving Black Americans to become community hubs for health awareness, education, and support.

• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240214747351/en/
  "City of Hope Patient" Paul Edmonds with City of Hope doctors, Jana K. Dickter, M.D., and Monzr Al Malki, M.D.
• Edmonds is also the person who had HIV the longest — for over 31 years — among these five patients.
• Known as the “City of Hope patient” among these five patients, Edmonds received a transplant at City of Hope on Feb. 6, 2019, and is now considered to be cured of leukemia.
• City of Hope has exceptional transplant outcomes year after year, according to the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research.

• Anti-Black racism continues to be a major determinant of poor health and social outcomes for Black Canadians.
• Addressing this racism within Canadian institutions — like the health-care system, justice system, the child welfare system and education — has far-reaching implications.
• Moreover, in the early days of the pandemic, living in a Black community was strongly correlated with a diagnosis of COVID-19.

Contemporary and historical inequities

• Black Canadians’ experiences are rooted in contemporary and historical inequities, including Canada’s history of slavery and racial discrimination.
• Policy formulations still shape access to material resources and contribute to structural inequities in Canada, evident in the pervasive low incomes of Black Canadians.
• While median annual wages generally increase for the Canadian population, Black men’s wages have remained stagnant.

Black youth mental health

• Black youth spoke most about racism in our research on their mental health experiences.
• Read more:
  Black men's mental health concerns are going unnoticed and unaddressed

  Income inequality and insufficient financial resources are complicating factors, impeding many young Black men from getting the counselling they need to improve their mental health.

• LGBTQIA+ Black youth may face dire situations, experiencing racism within the LGBTQIA+ community and homophobia within the Black community.

Addressing inequities

• Partnering with Black communities is a crucial component in effective efforts to mitigate inequities.
• Indeed, it is essential that Black community members participate, to capitalize on their strengths and actively engage in improving their well-being.
• Through my personal and professional experiences, I’ve had a unique glimpse into the brilliance and strengths of various Black communities, which are often untapped.
• Institutions must do more than just provide education and develop anti-racist policies; they must also ensure accountability in addressing racism.

Looking ahead

• However, anti-Black racism has consequences for population outcomes for all Canadians, as we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• These moves will improve health and social outcomes for Black Canadians and generate stronger population outcomes in Canada.

Bukola Salami receives funding from Policywise for Children and Families for a project on mental health of Black youth named in this article

• Mentors, typically from the Global North, or high-income countries, are often seen as more credible than mentees who are mostly from the Global South.
• Hierarchical relationships, especially those between people from the Global North and Global South, are not mutually beneficial or fair.
• Based on our personal experiences and research as public health researchers, statisticians and social scientists, we believe that cultural humility and equitable partnerships are key to effective global health projects.
• Decolonizing mentorship in global health, or addressing the historical power imbalances between researchers from the Global North and Global South, can help advance global health for all.

Challenges in global health research

• Some scholars have defined global health as “collaborate transnational research and action for promoting health for all.” Historically, however, the concept of global health is rooted in Western ideas of who is considered human.
• This hierarchy is omnipresent in knowledge exchange and health resource allocation between the Global North and Global South.
• Notably, most of the major global health institutes are located in the Global North, although the greatest burden of diseases such as HIV and malaria is centered in the Global South.
• For example, several scholars from the Global South have noted how visa restrictions and fees affected their ability to attend global health conferences in high-income countries.

Decolonizing global health

• For example, a researcher from the Global North may be more knowledgeable about a new technology, but a researcher from the Global South may know how best to adapt the technology locally.
• Tailoring mentorship programs to address the specific needs of scholars in the Global South will also help cultivate a sense of inclusivity and belonging.

• Establishing communication channels that accommodate various languages would allow scholars to be able to fully participate in the global health dialogue.
• Decolonizing mentorship in global health is not a theoretical concept but an actionable strategy.
• Addressing the unique challenges that researchers in the Global South face can help bridge the global health divide, allowing local scholars to actively shape the future of the field and their communities.

Oluwafemi Atanda Adeagbo receives funding from National Institutes of Health and University of Iowa Brenda Yankam and Engelbert Bain Luchuo do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.