Exploring the role of community-generated data in identifying service gaps and strengthening HIV health systems
Solange Baptiste, Executive Director at ITPC Global, explores the critical role of community-generated data in strengthening HIV prevention and health systems monitoring, presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2026. Drawing on real-world insights, she highlights how disruptions in service delivery are often first identified at the community level, long before they are captured in national surveillance systems.
Solange Baptiste discusses the disproportionate impact of funding and system pressures on prevention services, and why integrating community-led monitoring with formal data systems is essential for responsive, resilient HIV care. She emphasizes the need to recognize communities as active partners in health system design, rather than passive recipients of care.
Interview Questions:
- From a community and service-delivery perspective, what are the earliest and most visible effects of HIV funding cuts that clinicians may not yet see reflected in national data or models?
- Why are prevention services often the first to collapse during funding crises, and how does this create downstream clinical and financial consequences for health systems?
- Your work highlights community-generated evidence as an early warning system, how can clinicians and health services better integrate these insights into routine decision-making?
- In periods of financial uncertainty, what practical steps can healthcare professionals take to anticipate system stress and help sustain continuity of HIV prevention and care?
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Cite: Solange Baptiste. touchINFECTIOUS DISEASES. 17 March 2026.
Presentation: Solange Baptiste. Global Cuts, Local Consequences: Community Impact and Response to the HIV Funding Crisis. Presented at CROI 2026, February 22-25 2026, Denver, CO, USA.
Editor: Katey Gabrysch, Editorial Director.
Disclosures: Solange Baptiste has nothing to disclose in relation to this video interview.
The content was developed and edited by human editors. No fees or funding were associated with its publication. touchINFECTIOUS DISEASES utilize AI as an editorial tool (ChatGPT (GPT-4o) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat).
This content has been developed independently by Touch Medical Media for touchINFECTIOUS DISEASES in collaboration with Solange Baptiste. Views expressed are the speaker’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Touch Medical Media.Â
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