8th annual Positively Aging Project to feature HIV/AIDS activist Peter Staley

Ema Sasic, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·3 min read

The eighth annual Positively Aging Project, a local conference that provides information and inspiration for those living long-term with HIV, returns Saturday with a number of speakers and sessions planned, including a keynote address from a well-known AIDS and gay rights activist.

The conference, with a theme of "Mind, Body, Soul," will feature experts in HIV research discussing living and aging with HIV, and panels on staying fit and medical cannabis. This year's keynote speaker is Peter Staley, who was a member of the grassroots political group ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) New York, and later became the founding director of TAG (Treatment Action Group).

The Positively Aging Project, organized by HIV+ Aging Research Project Palm Springs, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 both in person at the Mizell Center in Palm Springs and virtually on Zoom.

What is the Positively Aging Project?

The Positively Aging Project is an annual conference held on or around National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (Sept. 18), a day to call attention to the growing number of people living long-term with HIV and aging-related challenges of HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care. The conference is free and open to the public.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection. If left untreated, it can lead to AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Approximately 39 million people globally were living with HIV in 2022, and 85.6 million have been infected by HIV since the start of the epidemic in the 1980s.

More than 40 million people around the world have died from AIDS-related illnesses. Today, however, people with HIV are living longer lives due to advancements in research and medicine. According to 2021 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 53% of people living with diagnosed HIV were ages 50 and older. By 2030, that number is expected to rise to more than 70%, according to the Administration for Community Living.

Speakers and panels

The speaker and panel lineup for this year's conference features:

  • Keynote speaker Staley, who is known for his work in HIV/AIDS activism. He was an early member of ACT UP New York, an activist group started in the 1980s to address the AIDS crisis. He went on to found TAG in the 1990s in order to advance HIV/AIDS treatment and research, and the educational website AIDSmeds.com. He was a 2016 Fellow at Harvard's Institute of Politics, and is a leading subject in the Oscar-nominated documentary "How to Survive a Plague." Most recently, Staley co-founded the PrEP4All Collaboration and the COVID-19 Working Group—New York. He is also the author of "Never Silent: ACT UP and My Life in Activism."

  • An HIV research update panel with Bios Clinical's Golkoo Morcos, representatives from Desert Oasis, Eisenhower Health's Dr. Ann Stapleton, Palmtree Clinical Research's Dr. Carlos Martinez and HIV+ Aging Research Project Executive Director Jeff Taylor

  • Ted Guice, a personal trainer focusing on HIV and fitness after 50

  • Jack Newby, presenting the Brain Game program offered at The Joslyn Center in Palm Desert

  • Dr. David Grelotti, from the University of California San Diego, and registered nurse Ruth Hill speaking on medical cannabis

  • Thomas Roth, certified instructor of transcendental meditation and director of the David Lynch Foundation HIV Wellness Initiative

  • Let’s Kick ASS (AIDS Survivor Syndrome) member roundtable

How to join

When: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: Mizell Center, 480 S. Sunrise Way, Palm Springs, or via Zoom

Cost: Free

How to register: Register via Eventbrite (https://tinyurl.com/yubv6tze) or through the HIV+Aging Research Project website (www.HARP-PS.org/positivelyagingproject).

More information: Call 760-760-4277 or email info@harp-ps.org

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Positively Aging Project in Palm Springs to feature famous activist