RTI International to host conference on ending gender inequalities

CHAPEL HILL, NC— RTI International will host a conference to generate actionable solutions for ending gender inequalities April 12-13 at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

The conference, titled Ending Gender Inequalities: Addressing the nexus of HIV, drug use, and violence with evidence-based action, is the first of its kind to produce solutions through plenaries, panels and collaborative sessions.

"This is the first action-oriented global conference that focuses not only on evidence-based intervention with this intersecting nexus but how to address scale up," said Wendee Wechsberg, Ph.D., conference chair and director of the RTI Global Gender Center and substance abuse treatment evaluations and interventions at RTI. "This conference is an exceptional learning and sharing opportunity for gender scientists, community members, development practitioners, policy advisors, and students to network and develop collaborations."

The conference will highlight successful evidence-based gender research and practice, strategize solutions, and broaden intervention implementation in usual care settings domestically and internationally. 

Speakers include:

• Ambassador Eric Goosby, former United States Global AIDS coordinator, Director, Center for Implementation Sciences Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
• David Wilson, Global AIDS program director at the World Bank
• Susan Markhan, senior coordinator of gender equality and women's empowerment, United States Agency for International Development 
• Jeff Herbst, chief of Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control
• Avni Amin, senior program associate of the Center for Health and Gender Equity Department of Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization

The full list of speakers is available here.

Expert panels and breakout sessions will facilitate discussions on common challenges and barriers related to evidence-based gender research and programming. Discussions will be designed to equip participants with problem solving tools to implement and scale-up evidence-based strategies.

The conference will include those most affected by gender-based violence (including those affected by human trafficking), people living with HIV, key populations who are most at risk for acquiring HIV, individuals in recovery from substance use, and members of the LGBTQ community who have been affected by stigma and discrimination.

A poster session also will highlight emerging research and programs to reduce HIV, drug use, and gender-based violence.

To attend the conference, please register here. More information about the event can be found here.