Real people, real action, real results: Decolonising and Destigmatising Viral Hepatitis at VH2025
This plenary session was proudly supported by Bellberry through their Participant Engagement Grant, enabling Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community voices to be centred at VH2025. Troy Combo chairs the panel session. “Many sectors are not brave enough to centre these kinds of sessions,” said Troy Combo, chair of the ‘Decolonising and Destigmatising Viral Hepatitis’ […]
Pacific HIV Testing Innovations Workshop convenes as HIV continues to rise in the Pacific
This year Fiji declared an HIV outbreak, while Papua New Guinea is in the midst of a declared HIV ‘crisis’ – and the rest of the region is on alert. In June, Papua New Guinea declared a National HIV Crisis, with an estimated 30 people contracting HIV daily in 2024. Fiji’s Ministry of Health has […]
ASHM calls for resumption of stage 1 and 2 hormone therapy for gender dysphoria for people aged under 18 in Queensland
ASHM has submitted a response to the Independent review of Stage 1 and Stage 2 hormone therapies in Queensland’s public paediatrics gender services in support of access to person-centred, evidence-based gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) options for people aged under 18. The independent review (Review) comes following a Health Service Directive from Queensland Health in January […]
Budget 2025-26: Increased investment in HIV prevention and workforce
ASHM welcomes the Federal Government’s continued investment in the HIV workforce, with the announcement of $2.7 million in 2025–26 for HIV programs, including the extension of ASHM’s HIV prevention workforce education pilot. ASHM’s National PrEP Workforce Development Pilot Project aims to build Australia’s workforce capacity and break down access barriers to increase the uptake of HIV PrEP […]
New call for change in legislation for hepatitis C treatment in hospitals
A new evidence summary by Burnet Institute has revealed some people with hepatitis C in hospitals are not accessing treatment due to the cost of medication, sparking calls for the federal government to review legislation to improve access. Published jointly by Burnet Institute, Hepatitis Australia and ASHM, the summary suggests that preventing people in hospital […]
Vale Dr Nicholas Medland
ASHM, the Kirby Institute and the broader HIV and sexual health sector are mourning the loss of Dr Nicholas Medland, who passed away suddenly in the United Kingdom on Friday 21 February. Dr Nick Medland was a clinical epidemiologist at the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney, researching the community impact of interventions to prevent infectious […]
Reflecting on 10 years of the Australian STI Management Guidelines for Use in Primary Care
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Australian STI Management Guidelines for Use in Primary Care. Since its launch in 2014, the easy-to-understand online resource has become a go-to guide for healthcare workers in primary care when it comes to the prevention, testing, and treatment of sexually transmissible infections (STIs). The guidelines also include […]
Highlights from HIV&AIDS 2024 and the 25th IUSTI World Congress
In September 2024, ASHM delivered two landmark conferences at ICC Sydney on Gadigal Country: the Australasian HIV&AIDS Conference 2024 and 25th IUSTI World Congress (incorporating the Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference). Together, these conferences united over 1,200 delegates from 35 countries over 5 days to discuss the latest advancements in HIV and sexual and […]
First of its kind Chemsex Toolkit for health workforce in Asia-Pacific launched
A ground-breaking Chemsex Toolkit for clinical service providers working in the Asia-Pacific region was launched at the 6th Asia Pacific Chemsex Symposium (APCS) in Bangkok, Thailand. Developed by ASHM on behalf of UNAIDS and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Chemsex Toolkit for clinical service providers in the Asia-Pacific region is the […]
Implementing long-acting injectable HIV PrEP: Recommendations to support the Australian health sector
On the 6th of April 2024, ASHM Health organised a national workshop, funded by ViiV Healthcare, to convene a select group of key stakeholders from each Australian state and territory. The primary objective was to facilitate discussions around how to successfully implement the use of long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) as HIV PrEP throughout Australia and to identify […]
