UNAIDS at Penn (UNAP) is a student-run advocacy organization which works with and supports the global efforts of UNAIDS in ending the harm associated with HIV/AIDS by 2030. Through speaker events, film screenings, fundraisers, discussion forums, and long-term collaborations with grassroots community organizations, this organization seeks to raise awareness of the continuing AIDS epidemic, educate students on sustainable ways to engage with global health and health justice more broadly, and mobilize those passionate about this cause toward meaningful impact. This organization provides opportunities for reflective discourse on the lasting HIV/AIDS stigma and gender inequities, and it aims to include undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and community members in a campus wide research symposium.
We partner with the larger UNAIDS global program, the Center for AIDS Research Community Advisory Board (CFAR CAB), and community-based organizations in Philadelphia, having worked with Bebashi, the Mazzoni Center, Prevention Point Philadelphia, Galaei, and more in the past. Graduate and undergraduate students from political science, advocacy, journalism, criminal justice, public health, and STEM fields make up our organization. All members have the chance to engage with speakers from world-renowned researchers, leaders in social movements, and inspiring work to fighting against the marginalization, exploitation, and criminalization that has too long characterized the broader approach to HIV. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to an academic journal, engage with our ongoing global and local work, and build their own initiatives in advancing health justice.