Person-Centred Care Research Collaborative: Supporting HIV prevention through programming and service delivery in Africa and North America

Marie-Claude Lavoie is an epidemiologist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMB). She is also the Director of Strategic Information and Evaluation at Ciheb, UMB, where she oversees the monitoring and evaluation strategy and activities for large-scale HIV programmes in central, eastern, southern and western Africa. Her research includes HIV prevention and treatment, substance use, evidence synthesis and implementation science in the US and globally. Before joining UMB, Marie-Claude worked as a regional technical advisor for the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization for the Latin American and Caribbean region.

Shona Dalal is an epidemiologist and currently serves as the Technical Officer for Surveillance in the Department of HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Infections at the World Health Organization. She leads the development of global guidelines, digital tools, and SMART Guidelines to improve HIV data systems. Shona has developed global guidance on strategic information for HIV, HIV testing including partner notification, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and the prevention, screening, and treatment of cervical cancer with a focus on people living with HIV. Her previous work includes conducting population-based surveys and implementation research on HIV across several countries. Throughout her career, Shona has focused on data-driven approaches and practical strategies to strengthen surveillance and data use, with the ultimate aim of improving health outcomes.

Anke Rotsaert is a public health researcher at the Sexual Health, including HIV, Unit of the Institute of Tropical Medicine. Her research focuses on HIV prevention, with particular emphasis on integrated pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) care and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing for pregnant and postpartum women.

Maryam Shahmanesh is a global health research professor, a physician scientist, and a faculty member at the Africa Health Research Institute (AHRI). Her research interests lie in the interdisciplinary space between social science, clinical medicine, and epidemiology. She enjoys using innovative and participatory methods to develop and rapidly evaluate complex interventions that improve the health of adolescents, youth, and marginalised populations. A large focus of Maryam’s work is building multidisciplinary research capacity through strong mentorship and support. Since 2016 Maryam has established a large, interdisciplinary programme to develop and evaluate innovative and complex biosocial interventions to reduce HIV and improve sexual health among adolescents and young adults in KwaZulu-Natal. Her research has included participatory development of peer-led youth mobilisation (Thetha Nami) and other innovations such as using digital technology and sexually transmitted infection testing to improve engagement of young people in HIV care and prevention.

Adrian Guta is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Windsor and Canada Research Chair in Health Disparities and Public Health. His research examines how social, legal, and institutional contexts shape HIV risk, prevention, and access to care, particularly among people who use drugs and other structurally vulnerable populations. Over the past two decades, he has led and collaborated on community-based and participatory HIV research across Canada, working closely with healthcare providers, service organizations, and peer-led groups. His scholarship focuses on governance, harm reduction, and the integration of HIV prevention within evolving drug policy and service environments. Dr. Guta’s work bridges critical social science and applied health research to inform equitable, person-centred programming and strengthen accountability within health and social systems.