COVID-19 Conversations with NTANDO YOLA

This week we speak to Ntando Yola who is a founding member of the Vaccine Advocacy Resource Group and co-lead of APHA Advocacy for Prevention of HIV and AIDS, which host and partner with the COVID-19 Conversations weekly webinar series. In 2013, an AVAC fellow with a track record in advocacy for stakeholder engagement in the HIV prevention trials. He was the keynote speaker at the 2013 AIDS Vaccine Conference at which he contributed to setting the standard for civil society engagement in vaccine and HIV prevention research processes.

He has invested over a decade working with the Desmond Tutu HIV Center and is well known in the South African vaccine development and advocacy community. Colleagues, his community engagement work has included working in trials across various research networks as a member of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) social, behavioral working group, and the current community working group co-chair of the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN).

Ntando is committed to facilitating the work of the VARG to support civil society groups and other role players in South Africa through the dissemination of appropriate messaging and mobilization of all role players for HIV vaccine research and development. He’s also a member of the South African Health Technologies Advocacy Coalition (SAHTAC) Health Research advocacy group, focusing on HIV prevention, research, and related infections and being the Chairperson of the SANAC Men Sector. Ntando is a steering committee member of Africa free of New HIV infections (AfNHI), regional HIV prevention, the research community, and advocacy platform.