LIVE Lecture Series
The LIVE Lecture Series are community seminars and town hall forums sponsored by LIVE in which a number of current issues related to HIV are addressed through expert panel discussions and public input. The seminars provide the latest information with regard to laws pertaining to HIV and AIDS, the newest developments in cure research, and other relevant topics current to the issues involving HIV and AIDS. In addition, the series directs individuals to HIV-related information from a variety of reputable scientific, educational, and community resources.
Program Goals and Objectives:
Educate the Houston community about current issues involving HIV and AIDS through expert panel discussions and public input.
Direct individuals to information on HIV treatment and medication from a variety of reputable scientific and educational sources.
Partner with area AIDS Services Organizations, local clinics, and specialized clinicians to help educate the public on the availability of local, state, and federal HIV/AIDS treatment and services.
Advocate for increased funding for HIV cure research, medical care, and other needed resources by mobilizing the Houston community to contact applicable stakeholders for support and immediate action.
If you are interested in learning more about LIVE CONSORTIUM’s Lecture Series please contact Glenn Urbach at (713) 861-5483 or at glenn.urbach@liveconsortium.org
Men's and Women's Education Initiatives
The adage ‘Knowledge is Power’ is very much true, alive and embraced at LIVE CONSORTIUM. We believe that knowledge has the power to break the bonds of HIV-related stigma in all facets and structures of our community. Our role at LIVE CONSORTIUM is a difficult one, but very necessary. We play the ever important intermediary role of the de-stigmatizer. We bridge the gap between those that have been stigmatized by HIV and those that play the role of the stigmatizers. Stigma knows no bounds and is ever present and prevalent throughout our community. Our Education Initiatives touches many different communities regardless of race, gender, HIV status, or sexual orientation. As an example, when the Houston community began recording dramatic increases of new HIV transmission in the gay male African American community, we quickly expanded our programs to reach this at-risk population. To date, our education-based programs have proven to be a very powerful tool in de-mystifying and de-stigmatizing HIV and AIDS. Our mission is to reach out and educate the Houston community and beyond.
Program Goals and Objectives:
Educate gay men through a series of peer-based HIV intervention and anti-stigma related lectures and programs.
Educate communities of color about HIV, the negative effects of stigma and its consequences on HIV transmission.
Sponsor an ongoing series of motivational and inspirational programs crafted and directed specifically for HIV positive men and women.
Target historically under-served populations including, but not limited to the Houston transgender community, communities of color, and young adults with regard to all facets of HIV transmission, HIV-related stigma, medical advancements, and community resources.
If you are interested in learning more about our Men's and Women's Education Initiatives, please contact Glenn Urbach at (713) 861-5483 or by email at glenn.urbach@liveconsortium.org.
LIVE Programs
University Anti-Stigma Campaign
Every year, LIVE CONSORTIUM partners with institutions of higher learning to educate college students not only about HIV and the negative effects of stigma, but also about what they can do to lower HIV incidence rates by reducing the stigma associated with HIV. The month long HIV awarenss campaign is comprised of meetings with student groups, students educating students, viral marketing in student publications and social media platforms, data gathering for research, and a campus wide symposium on the campaign’s last day: Anti-Stigma Day. The pilot program was conducted at the University of Houston. Since then, LIVE has successfully conducted University Anti-Stigma Campaigns on the campuses of Rice University and Texas Southern University, respectively. The research results of our campaigns have been presented at AIDS conferences throughout the world. Results from the University of Houston Anti-Stigma Campaign were presented at the XVIII International AIDS Conference, and the results of the Rice University Campaign were presented at the 10th Annual International AIDS Impact Conference. In addition, our University Anti-Stigma Campaign research has been peer reviewed and its findings published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Program Goals and Objectives:
Educate college students about HIV and the negative effects of stigma.
Educate college students that HIV is not just a problem in Africa, but also in their own community.
Educate college students about what they can do to reduce HIV-related stigma within their community.
Educate college students that HIV is a disease that does not discriminate.
Inform college students that young adults are the fastest growing demographic susceptible to contracting HIV.
Perform important research not only on the effectiveness of the university campaign, but also on how to measure the effectiveness of anti-stigma interventions.
Package the program for use by other organizations at any university or college around the world.
If you are interested in learning more about LIVE CONSORTIUM’s University Anti-Stigma Campaign please contact Glenn Urbach at (713) 861-5483 or at glenn.urbach@liveconsortium.org
LIVE's University Anti-Stigma Campaigns are generously underwritten by a grant from the Allen Huff Memorial Research Initiative.
Click Here to View Results from 2013 University Anti-Stigma Campaign
Stigma Research Initiative
LIVE is dedicated to understanding the many effects of stigma on those who are HIV-positive. LIVE’s Stigma Research Initiative focuses on HIV-positive gay and bisexual men’s thoughts, reactions, expectations, and experiences in terms of both being stigmatized because they are HIV-positive and the internalization of stigmatizing discourses.
The Stigma Research Initiative involves a comprehensive mix-methods study, of both qualitative interviews and confidential surveys, in order to further understand the many stigmas that HIV-positive gay and bisexual men face everyday in their lives.The study, headed by Dr. Rigmor Berg and under the direction of Dr. Michael Ross, is the first of its kind that fully explores and measures the impact of HIV-related stigma.
Future stigma research initiatives will include the study of perceived HIV-related stigma among African-American women and a mapping study of those who are HIV-negative in order to conduct a systemic analysis of HIV-related stigma.
Stigma Research Goals and Objectives:
Collect informed data involving the perceived stigma facing HIV-positive gay and bisexual men.
Develop a better understanding of both external stigmas and internalized stigmas.
Determine the different impacts of HIV-related stigma on the diagnosed.
Develop a better understanding of how HIV-related stigma affects one’s overall quality of life.
If you are interested in learning more about LIVE CONSORTIUM’s Stigma Research Initiative, please contact Glenn Urbach at (713) 861-5483 or at glenn.urbach@liveconsortium.org
LIVE’s Stigma Research Initiative has been generously underwritten by the Allen Huff Memorial Research Initiative.