Science, Funding, and Young Leaders at AIDS 2026

On the first full day of AIDS 2026 in Rio, the A Shot in the Arm podcast (with the International AIDS Societies Young Leaders Program) captures excitement about new HIV science alongside anxiety over PEPFAR-related funding cuts and debate about reliance on a single donor. Guests include Florence, a Botswana-Harvard lab research scientist studying HIV/HBV coinfection and occult hepatitis B, reporting mutation findings (notably in the HBx region) and urging more inclusive OBI screening and greater HBV visibility at AIDS conferences; Bernard, a Nigerian doctor practicing emergency medicine in Russia, proposing integrating HIV awareness into existing emergency/ambulance systems to reduce stigma and cost; and returning guest Maggie Duncan, who presents work improving the Intact Proviral DNA Assay for measuring HIV reservoirs across subtypes. They discuss partnerships, private sector roles, long-term post-2030 HIV response, stigma, and unequal access to technologies and reagents.

00:00 Welcome From Rio

00:30 Conference Mood Check

01:08 PEPFAR Tensions

02:13 Meet The Guests

02:30 Florence HBV HIV Research

06:04 Clinical Coinfection Basics

07:08 Bernard Emergency Integration

10:18 Stigma Sparked A Pivot

11:45 Maggie Reservoir Assay

13:53 Florence Poster Deep Dive

19:18 Partnerships And Funding