Beyond the Hype: Re-engineering HIV Diagnostics for a Resilient Future (recorded at AIDS 2026)

Recorded at AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro at the Roche Diagnostics booth, host Ben Plumley speaks with Professor Pedro Cahn (Fundación Huésped, Argentina) and Dr. Rupa Patel (Whitman-Walker Health, Washington, DC) about why diagnostics—often overlooked in the HIV continuum—are the essential entry point to prevention and care, especially amid reduced funding. They discuss late diagnosis and loss to follow-up, structural barriers like clinic access and hours, and the need for community-led, person-centered delivery models including outreach brigades, mobile and home-based services, and task shifting to peers and other health workers. The conversation covers integrating point-of-care and lab testing, the promise and risks of self-testing with real-time linkage to support, and linking HIV diagnostics with broader health needs such as TB, STIs, diabetes, and cancer screening to advance equity and progress toward 95-95-95. 00:00 Welcome and Setup 01:22 Live Booth Kickoff 02:20 Why Diagnostics Matter 07:11 Late Diagnosis and Equity 12:15 Reimagining Care Delivery 19:28 Outreach Testing in Practice 22:53 Point of Care vs Lab 27:28 Self Testing Debate 34:35 Building Integrated Platforms 38:30 Policy and Provider Barriers 43:43 Closing Calls to Action Guests: Professor Pedro Cahn Scientific Director Fundación Huésped, Argentina Dr. Rupa R. Patel Biomedical HIV Prevention Clinical and Research Lead Whitman Walker Institute and Health, Washington D.C. Roche Diagnostics https://diagnostics.roche.com AIDS 2026 https://www.iasociety.org/conferences/aids2026 Check Out Ben’s Substack: https://substack.com/@benplumley1 Join the Conversation! How do you see the future of global health unfolding? Share your thoughts in the comments! Subscribe & Stay Updated: Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favorite podcast platform. Watch on YouTube & subscribe for more in-depth global health. #hivaids #HIV #AIDS #globalhealth #AIDS2026 #RocheDiagnostics