Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) INTERACT conference

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Although most countries across Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) are focused on scaling up access to antiretroviral treatment for the prevention and treatment of HIV, the WHO has warned that the sharp rise in HIV and tuberculosis coinfections across the region represents a critical threat to both pandemic responses. Advancing the response necessitates clinical, epidemiological, social, and implementation research to inform epidemic responses tailored to local contexts. There are specific opportunities to improve the HIV response across EECA including 1) training local physicians and scientists in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of individuals with HIV 2) conducting implementation science to optimize program investments 3) ensuring evidence-informed public health policy and programming to reduce HIV and TB-related disparities across EECA. The first EECA INTERACT Workshop was held in Kazakhstan in 2019, inspired by the success of the INTEREST conferences, held annually in different African countries each year, that have benefitted from NIH support for several years. EECA INTERACT 2019 brought together clinicians, policy makers, early career and senior researchers, and members of civil society from the region, along with scientists from Western Europe and North America, to share pivotal findings and experiences in the field of HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis C. INTERACT was innovative and informal, setting the stage for people to participate throughout the two days, focusing on unique issues facing the region and finding paths forward to solutions for improvement. The EECA INTERACT 2022 workshop will be a high-quality, regionally-focused scientific international meeting in Minsk, providing the region’s scientific communities with: 1) platforms to discuss and identify common solutions to implementation challenges across the region in HIV diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, as well as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and health more generally; 2) opportunities for early-career clinicians and researchers to share their experiences and findings from local settings; and 3) mechanisms for prominent international experts in HIV, related conditions, and social behavioral science to share knowledge and views. EECA Interact 2022 is being proposed with the following specific aims: 1. To provide cutting-edge knowledge in the fields of HIV, tuberculosis, and hepatitis diagnosis and treatment, pathogenesis, and prevention, in order to contribute to achieving the 95-95-95 HIV viral suppression goal, reducing tuberculosis incidence, and lessening the impact of hepatitis across EECA 2. To exchange ideas on providing and supporting HIV testing services and clinical care provision to adults, adolescents, and key populations living with HIV to achieve the 95-95-95 goals 3. To foster new research interactions among leading investigators and those who represent the potential future scientific leadership for health care and research in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. 4. To build research and clinical capacity across EECA.