Since our first research collaboration in the mid-1980s, the Kirby Institute has maintained strong and productive partnerships with Australia’s gay communities.
While HIV does not represent the same urgent risk to the community as it did then, it remains an important health issue, with new notification rates for HIV remaining stable over the past five years. In Australia, about three quarters of new HIV infections are among gay men and other men who have sex with men.
Gay men and other men who have sex with men are also a key population in relation to STI research and prevention. A number of our research collaborations explore the sexual relationships between men in order to increase our understanding of risk behaviours. This information is essential to design appropriate and effective interventions. A number of Kirby-led studies, such as the HIV Seroconversion Study, have identified gaps in policy and provided evidence to inform better health services.
We also work with gay communities on studies that explore infection, immunity and cancer, especially as it relates to human papillomavirus-related anal cancer.
Our programs that work in this area
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health
- Biostatistics and Databases
- HIV Epidemiology and Prevention
- Public Health Interventions
- Sexual Health
- Surveillance and Evaluation
- Therapeutic and Vaccine Research
- Viral Hepatitis Epidemiology and Prevention
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