Past Conferences and Events

This is an archive of past conferences and events related to cervical barriers and the female condom that have been featured on our home page or in CBAS newsletters. Please note that events are in reverse chronological order.

XVIII International AIDS Conference

The 2010 International AIDS Conference was held in Vienna, Austria, July 18-23, 2010. The theme of the conference was “Rights Here, Right Now,” highlighting the crucial connection between human rights and HIV. Here we feature two sets of conference activities of interest to CBAS members.

Universal Access to the Female Condom Joint Programme at AIDS 2010
The Universal Access to the Female Condom (UAFC) Joint Programme held female condom demonstrations, workshops, and a poster presentation at the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria. UAFC also held a press conference which drew attention from worldwide media sources reporting on the need for expanded access to the female condom. More information is available at the UAFC website and the AIDS 2010 conference website.

Cervical Barrier Research at AIDS 2010
Please see below a list of posters and presentations that highlighted cervical barrier methods, including the diaphragm and Duet®, at the conference. You may also visit the conference website Programme-at- a-Glance feature to browse the approximately 40 female condom-related presentations and posters.

• Change in barrier method use after an HIV prevention trial in Zimbabwe (van der Straten et al.)
• Intimate partner violence and non-adherence to male condoms and the diaphragm among women in an HIV prevention trial in Sub-Saharan Africa (Kacanek et al.)
• Potential of female controlled contraceptives in preventing maternal incident HIV infection amongst postpartum women in Kenya (Osoti et al.)
• Women's empowerment? Contradictory reports of female autonomy towards female-initiated HIV prevention methods in Zimbabwe (Montgomery et al.)

Microbicides 2010

The 2010 International Microbicides Conference was held in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, May 22-25, 2010. The theme of the meeting was "Microbicides: Building bridges in HIV prevention" through collaborations between basic, behavioral, and clinical scientists, community partners, and advocacy groups. Please see below a list of posters and presentations that highlighted cervical barrier methods and visit the conference website for more information.

• The Duet® cervical barrier used continuously or pre-coitally for HIV prevention in Zimbabwean women: An acceptability and safety study (Elizabeth Montgomery et al.)
• Vaginal practices, gel and barrier methods use among HIV prevention trial participants in southern Africa (Ariane van der Straten et al.)
• Development of microbicide-releasing SILCS diaphragm (Ian Major et al.)
• Combining HIV prevention and contraceptive technologies (Gustavo Doncel et al.)
• Impact of learning HIV status on contraceptive use in the MIRA trial (Kelly Blanchard et al.)
• Preference between precoital and continuous use of Duet® in Zimbabwe (Ariane van der Straten et al.)

International Conference on Family Planning
The International Conference on Family Planning in Kampala, Uganda, in November 2009 provided an international forum for scientific and programmatic exchange on research and best practices in family planning. The three-day meeting focused both on research and on building on this knowledge to take action to improve family planning. Of the many valuable presentations, two were of particular relevance to cervical barrier advancement. Jill Schwartz from CONRAD presented on over-the-counter provision of the SILCS diaphragm and a team from Family Health International presented on acceptability and preferences for three female condoms among women in South Africa. More information about the meeting and other presentation materials are available here.

International AIDS Society 2009
The fifth conference in the HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention series, IAS 2009 was held July 19-22, 2009 in Cape Town, South Africa, and featured reports on the latest developments in the areas of basic, clinical, and prevention science. Please see below a list of posters that highlighted cervical barrier methods; for a complete list of abstracts, visit the conference website.

• Montgomery E, Musara P, Chandipiswa A, Chipato T, van der Straten A, Moench T, Woodsong C. Safety of the Duet used continuously or pre-coitally in Zimbabwean women.
• Montgomery ET, van der Straten A, Chidanyika A, Chipato T, Jaffar S, Padian N, The MIRA Team. The effect of male partner involvement on women's consistent use of investigational female-initiated HIV prevention methods in Zimbabwe.
• Clouse K, Montgomery ET, Milford C, Watadzaushe C, Nkala B, Lince N, van der Straten A. The sustainability of care beyond HIV prevention trials: an evaluation of the MIRA standard of care programme.
• Lince N, Blanchard K, van der Straten A, Watadzaushe C, Nkala B, Gappoo S, Ramjee G, Bostrom A. Measuring informed consent: results from a randomized controlled trial of the diaphragm for HIV prevention.

XVII International AIDS Conference

The theme of the XVII International AIDS Conference held in Mexico City, Mexico in August of 2008 was “Universal Action Now!” and almost 25,000 leaders, policymakers, academics, scientists, and activists from around the world participated in the conference. Recognizing the increasing feminization of the HIV epidemic, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the need for more HIV prevention methods that women can initiate and control, CBAS and Ibis Reproductive Health collaborated with a group of organizations to sponsor a satellite session entitled “No Simple Solution: Investing in HIV Prevention Research for Women and Girls.” The sponsoring organizations also included the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), the Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE), the Global Campaign for Microbicides (GCM), the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM), and the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC).

This session’s panel was designed to bring together government representatives, policy makers, researchers, and people working on the ground to discuss future directions for the prevention of HIV in women and girls. Stephen Lewis, Co-Founder of AIDS-Free World, moderated the session and Julia Kim from the University of Witswatersrand, South Africa gave a brief overview of issues related to HIV prevention for women before discussion began. In addition to Julia Kim, the panel included Agnes Binagwaho, Executive Secretary of the National AIDS Control Commission in Rwanda; Hilda Esquivel of Mexicanas Positivas Frente a la Vida in Mexico; and Matilda Mogale of the HIV Vaccine Trials Unit at Baragwanath Hospital in South Africa. Discussion centered on the need for new prevention strategies for women, structural interventions designed to decrease women’s risk for HIV acquisition, and barriers to access and use of existing prevention strategies for women (i.e., the female condom).

Microbicides 2008

Microbicides 2008 was held in New Delhi, India in February.  Significant results reported at the conference included a presentation of the results of the Carraguard Phase III microbicide trial results, as well as exciting news about new ARV-based microbicides.  A number of this year's presentations reported on cervical barrier research, and a number shared lessons learned from the MIRA trial of the diaphragm for future microbicide research. See below for a listing of abstracts related to the MIRA trial.  In addition, diaphragms were featured on the panel entitled “Impact of other HIV prevention trials” and the use of the diaphragm instead of condoms in the MIRA trial was discussed during an abstract session entitled “Acceptability.”

• Montgomery E; van der Straten A; Cheng H; Morar N; Chidanyika A; Nkala B; Blanchard K; Kacanek D; Padian, N. Correlation between product rating and use of the diaphragm and gel in Southern Africa
• Montgomery E; van der Straten A; Cheng H; Morar N; Chidanyika A; Nkala B; Blanchard K; Lince, N; Padian, N. Does acceptability of the diaphragm, Replens gel and male condoms in Southern Africa change over time?
• Cohen C; Cheng S; Chipato T; Matu M; Mutimutema MJ; Tuveson J; Kamba M; Padian N;  van der Straten A. Diaphragm used with ReplensÒ gel and risk of Bacterial Vaginosis: results from a randomized controlled trial
• Nkala B; Pato S; de Bruyn G; Montgomery E; van der Straten A; Lince N; Blanchard K; Kacanek D; Padian, N. The struggle continues: results dissemination and feedback from MIRA trial participants
• Kacanek D, Morar N, Blanchard K, Montgomery E, Nkala B, Mtetwa S, van der Straten A. Integrating qualitative research into clinical trials: lessons from the social science component of the methods for improving reproductive health in Africa (MIRA) trial
• Munyoro J, Nkala B, Montgomery E, van der Straten A, Padian N, Blanchard K, Kacanek D, De Bruyn G. Experiences of women who were screened-out of the MIRA trial

IAS 2007

As the fourth conference in the HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention series, IAS 2007 will feature reports on the latest developments in the areas of basic, clinical and prevention science.

Cervical barriers were mentioned in plenary sessions and highlighted in several oral presentations and posters. CBAS is making these abstracts available in one place so that those in the cervical barrier community can stay abreast of the work that is being done. To review all of the abstracts for IAS 2007, click here. All abstracts are linked below by author and title.

• Chidanyika A: Achieving a 95% cohort retention rate in a Phase III trial of the diaphragm and gel in Southern Africa
• Govender S: Factors contributing to diaphragm size change among enrolled women at the Durban site in a Phase III HIV prevention clinical trial
• Milford C: Access to care in HIV prevention trials: the MIRA standard of care programme, Durban, South Africa
• Montgomery E: Female-controlled HIV prevention methodsin Zimbabwe: how "involved" are male partners?
• Padian N: The diaphragm and lubricant gel for prevention of HIV acquistion in Southern African women: results of a randomized controlled trial
• van der Straten A: Diaphragm and gel adherence in a safety trial in Harare, Zimbabwe
• van der Straten A: Feasibility and acceptability of cervical barriers among vulnerable youth: a pilot study in Zimbabwe

World YWCA International Women’s Summit 2007

The World YWCA Council hosted the International Women’s Summit: Women’s Leadership on HIV and AIDS from July 4 to 7, 2007 in Nairobi, Kenya. The event brought together more than 2,000 women and men who participated in a series of workshops, presentations and community meetings. CBAS collaborated with a number of groups including the International Partnership for Microbicides and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative to host the workshop, ListenLearnLead on HIV Prevention Options for Women and Girls. See below for the session notes and presentations.

• HIV Prevention : Why we need more options for women (powerpoint ppt)
• Implementing Male and Female Condom Programmes at the Community Level: Experiences from Nigeria and Zimbabwe (powerpoint ppt)
• HIV Prevention Research and Implementation: Challenges and Opportunities on the Horizon (powerpoint ppt)