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Commentary|Videos|September 28, 2026
Trusted Messengers Key to HIV Outreach: Christina Madison, PharmD
Fact checked by: Julia Bonavitacola
Gay and bisexual men make up 79.8% of new HIV diagnoses; Christina Madison, PharmD, on why trusted messengers matter.
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Gay and bisexual men accounted for 79.8% of new HIV diagnoses in the US and dependent areas in 2024, according to the CDC. Within this population, Black and African American and Hispanic or Latino gay and bisexual men received more new diagnoses that year than gay and bisexual men in other groups.1
National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, observed annually on September 27, aims to raise awareness of HIV's impact on gay and bisexual men and encourage testing, prevention, and treatment. The observance is also an opportunity to address HIV-related stigma, which, along with racism and discrimination, contributes to these disparities.1
Closing these gaps depends in part on who delivers the message. People are more responsive to health information from trusted messengers who look like them and share their lived experiences, Christina Madison, PharmD, FCCP, AAHIVP, a public health expert and clinical pharmacist, said in an interview with The American Journal of Managed Care®. Her comments echo those of other experts who have called for tailored messaging from trusted messengers within the communities most affected by HIV.2
"Because if I see someone that looks like me, if I see someone that has a similar lived experience, I'm much more likely to take that medical information vs if it's someone that I feel like just doesn't understand where I'm coming from," Madison said.
Stigma reminiscent of the early days of AIDS remains a barrier to prevention, particularly in underserved communities that are primarily Black or Hispanic.2 The best way to build trust, Madison said, is to meet people where they are and find common ground with patients.
"You can usually break down some of those barriers where people feel like they can't really ask you the questions that they feel like they want to ask in order to make sure that they can make an informed decision," she explained.
Community outreach, community health workers, and incentives can help bring people into care, Madison said, along with removing barriers such as cost and time so that saying yes is as simple as possible.
References
1. National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, September 27. NIH. Accessed September 28, 2026.
2. McCrear S. National HIV testing day highlights expanding PrEP, PEP access, persistent barriers. AJMC. June 27, 2026. Accessed September 28, 2026.
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