Stigma and its effects are an all too pervasive reality for people living with and affected by BBVs/STIs including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. In this final Spotlight on Stigma seminar for 2021, it seemed appropriate to hand over the virtual centre stage to three multi-talented community advocates for a conversation with Annie Madden on all things stigma and BBV/STIs from the perspective of living experiences. Join us for what will be a powerful and engaging seminar for anyone interested in ending stigma and its damaging effects for people and communities.
Michelle Tobin is an Aboriginal woman of the Yorta Yorta Nation; she is also a descendant of the Stolen Generation. Michelle has lived with HIV for over 31 years, lost her husband to HIV and has experienced many levels of stigma and discrimination. She has dedicated over 20 years of her life to improving the health and wellbeing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities through her passionate advocacy and leadership. Michelle is currently employed by Positive Life NSW in a health promotion role as the Aboriginal Health Program Officer where she has responsibility for designing, implementing and evaluating a co-designed HIV health program for NSW-based Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people living with or at risk of acquiring HIV.
Tony McNaughton is an NSP (Hep C Specialist) Peer Engagement Worker with the NSW Users & AIDS Association (NUAA) NSP and Open Clinic on Crown. He has been with NUAA for approximately 6 years in various roles. Tony identifies as being in recovery and for him, that relates to how he learned the power in claiming and reclaiming words in the 80's when we were living a different pandemic. Changing the way he thought of the words he used in his daily dialog became a useful and multi-powered survival tool. He found that observing how a word such as ‘recovery’ that had hurt and had the power to cut, could be changed into a proactive, useful and celebrated word, was very powerful. Recovery in his world is a long chain of relative conclusions and decisions that he looks back on and sees as markers or separate chapters in a story of healing from damage.
Nafisa Yussf has an extensive background in community engagement and public health program development and delivery within a culturally responsive framework. Nafisa is currently a Researcher at the WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis, The Peter Doherty Institute. Her research aims to understand how hepatitis B perinatal services are delivered to Victorian women and their infants. She is a strong advocate for people living with hepatitis B and centring lived experience in our response.
Facilitator: Annie Madden, AO - PhD Candidate at the UNSW Centre for Social Research in Health and 2SqPegs Consulting
Spotlight on Stigma
This occasional seminar series presented by the UNSW Centre for Social Research in Health explores the cutting-edge of stigma science, policy and practice. We will draw on insights from national and international experts with the aim of building awareness and skills in the use of stigma concepts and evidence. Through this series, we hope to contribute to developing a shared literacy around key concepts in stigma, centrally involve people with lived experience in examining and unpacking research, and advance our efforts to reduce the effects of stigma in Australia.
Register through Eventbrite now, and you will be sent the Zoom link to this event before the start.
Need assistance to register for this seminar? Ring +612 9385 6776.
