Wrapping our Conversations with Youth Leadership at AIDS 2026

This episode was made in partnership with the International AIDS Society (IAS), Young Leaders Programme.

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Host Ben Plumley wraps up the A Shot in the Arm Podcast from AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro with Zarawu Adams, a medical scientist from Salama Clinic in Accra, Ghana, reflecting on an exhausting but valuable week balancing conference sessions with the IAS’ Young Leaders Programme. Adams highlights research linking antiretroviral treatment to metabolic crises such as type 2 diabetes, including work focused on pregnant women, and confirms through conversations with scientific leaders that this issue is still under-emphasized. She describes the Young Leaders program as a diverse international advocacy network across HIV and other infectious diseases that builds connections, fills gaps, and broadens engagement beyond science to policy, innovation, and activism. Adams emphasizes resilience, the funding crisis, and the urgent need to tackle stigma and discrimination – particularly as a driver of suicide, while noting increased visibility for LGBT communities within the IAS space.

00:00 Welcome to Rio

00:53 Metabolic Risks Spotlight

03:15 Young Leaders Program

04:53 Networking and Advice

07:26 Stigma and Discrimination

08:32 Activism and Funding Crisis

10:36 Resilience and New Ideas

14:27 Priority on Stigma

15:41 LGBTQ and Closing Reflections