Doctor Mehret

I am busily preparing to meet the world in Mexico.

The last time I attended this conference was 2000 in Durban, South Africa. I was a bright- eyed medical student and the world had gathered demanding treatment access for the developing world. Judge Edwin Cameron gave the First Jonathan Mann Memorial Lecture and I cried quietly as the world remembered the teacher who changed my life. I was not alone in my tears. There was not a dry eye in the room. He had changed many people’s lives through his vision. His vision was big. Real big.

The atmosphere in Durban was electric. My heart was exploding with ideals of justice and health. I was with my favorite medical school professor and turned to him and said: “I think the world is changing.” He shot back a skeptical look and said: “maybe”

Eight years later, as I prepare for Mexico as a full-fledged physician, a lot has changed but much has stayed the same. The unprecedented growth in global access to treatment is undeniable. But HIV continues to be a global epidemic with an outcome gap between rich and poor, and Mandela’s call for action in Durban is still the most pressing item on the agenda, as reflected in the Mexico city conference theme: Universal Action Now.

Action is about change. This is profoundly political. The late Jonathan Mann, father of the health and human rights movement, had a deep understanding that the HIV epidemic presented “a challenge to the political and societal status quo.” He taught an undergraduate course called Public Health, AIDS and Human Rights that I took during my junior year in college. He ended the first day of class with: “This is a course for those who believe the world can change.” Simple, and to the point. I was hooked. I have been marching down the same road ever since. Following the connections.

This brings me to Mexico. I can’t help but think about Jonathan’s vision. It’s about change and how change comes. We need a movement, and movements are built by people. Not just the leaders, or experts but the citizenry. It’s all profoundly political. Yet, dealing with individual risk and personal responsibility is much more comfortable for the status quo. Therein lies the challenge.

Part of the solution is expanding the voices at the table who get the political message and that is what I intend to do. I am taking David Jenkin’s story with me. I am an official blogger for the AIDS 2008 community site (www.aids2008.com) and have posted my first video entry at: http://www.aids2008.com/blog/david-piano-player-notes-frontlines-life

Check it out and let me know what you think. Onwards and upwards.