Birth of the Oceania Society for Sexual Health and HIV Medicine.
During the 2006 Australian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM) conference in Melbourne, Australia, 10 Health care workers (HCWs) from smaller Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) who work in HIV medicine met and shared their experiences, achievements and constraints in caring for people living with HIV.
It became evident that, despite the vast differences and distances between the 22 countries and territories of the Pacific Islands, we all had many similarities.
Our people, beliefs, culture, achievements and constraints seemed ONE and despite the similarities, we the HIV practitioners were isolated from each other and working on our own without scientific mentorship. The notion of having an entirely new organization for those who work in HIV medicine in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories was conceived.
On 11 October 2006 pioneers from Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Chuuk and the Fiji Islands met where the Oceania Society for Sexual Health and HIV Medicine was born.
“Sexual Health Research launched at the Pacific Minister’s meeting Port Vila, Vanuatu.
Following the meeting in Melbourne, a small team of founding members met at the Southern Cross Hotel in Suva. During the meeting a working group of founding members based in Fiji was tasked with the responsibility of registering the society.
With support from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), legal advice was sought. This resulted in the recommendation that Sexual Health Research be registered as a company limited by guarantee. This status would allow Sexual Health Research to be recognized as a credible legal entity. Sexual Health Research was incorporated in Fiji as a not-for-profit company on the 28th of August, 2007.
Sexual Health Research launched at the Pacific Minister’s meeting Port Vila, Vanuatu.
Following Sexual Health Research’s incorporation as a company, agreement was received from World Health Organisation (WHO) and SPC to officially launch Sexual Health Research at the 7th Ministers of Health meeting in Port Vila, Vanuatu.
Officiating over the launch was Dr. Jimmie Rogers, the Director General of the SPC and the Dean of the Fiji school of Medicine, Professor David Brewster.
Sexual Health Research’s inaugural meeting Sydney Australia, 2007.
With the overwhelming support of a number of regional partners such as, ASHM, SPC and Pacific Regional HIV Project (PRHP), 27 Sexual Health Research members gathered in Sydney, for the inaugural Sexual Health Research meeting.
Since the inaugural meeting in Sydney, Sexual Health Research established its office at the Pacific Regional HIV Project office in Suva, Fiji. Later, relocated and is now currently co-located within the HIV section of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community in Nabua, Fiji.
Dr. Arvin Chaudhary making a case presentation at Sexual Health Research’s inaugural meeting Sydney, 2007.
