Beyond the Hype: Re-engineering HIV Diagnostics for a Resilient Future (recorded at AIDS 2026)

Recorded at AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro at the Roche Diagnostics booth, host Ben Plumley speaks with Professor Pedro Cahn (Fundación Huésped, Argentina) and Dr. Rupa Patel (Whitman-Walker Health, Washington, DC) about why diagnostics—often overlooked in the HIV continuum—are the essential entry point to prevention and care, especially amid reduced funding. They discuss late diagnosis and loss to follow-up, structural barriers like clinic access and hours, and the need for community-led, person-centered delivery models including outreach brigades, mobile and home-based services, and task shifting to peers and other health workers. The conversation covers integrating point-of-care and lab testing, the promise and risks of self-testing with real-time linkage to support, and linking HIV diagnostics with broader health needs such as TB, STIs, diabetes, and cancer screening to advance equity and progress toward 95-95-95.

00:00 Welcome and Setup

01:22 Live Booth Kickoff

02:20 Why Diagnostics Matter

07:11 Late Diagnosis and Equity

12:15 Reimagining Care Delivery

19:28 Outreach Testing in Practice

22:53 Point of Care vs Lab

27:28 Self Testing Debate

34:35 Building Integrated Platforms

38:30 Policy and Provider Barriers

43:43 Closing Calls to Action