What is your name and where are you from?

My name is Willian Amaral, I am from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

I am part of CAB CCA-INI-Fiocruz.

When did you join ACTG?

I started attending CAB meetings in 2009.

Why did you get involved with ACTG and what are some things you did as a member?

I am HIV positive, AIDS activist and community educator. I have always been interested in clinical research on HIV / AIDS and I have been involved in CAB to get updates on ongoing studies and to give feedback on future protocols that will be implemented at the research center. I always try to disseminate the results of the studies to HIV-positive people in my community.

Describe your community.

My community is composed of seropositive and seronegative people, this group includes MSM, Gays, transgender women and cisgender people.

What are the most important treatment issues for your community?

Access to new ARV drugs that are approved by ACTG network studies and the implementation in the country (Brazil) of the knowledge and technologies developed in the protocols.

How do you want your work in ACTG to be remembered?

I want to be remembered as a member who was part of the global response to the AIDS epidemic.

What are your future hopes for ACTG and HIV research?

My main hope is to cure the HIV infection and I wish it to happen in one of the ACTG studies.