Speakers

Since the 1990s, HIV-1 transmission chains reconstruction has been used for different purposes. Its first use for court cases of HIV-1 transmission has led to important conceptual and ethical discussions. Later on, HIV-1 transmission chains reconstruction combined with socio-demographic and behavioral data has been used frequently in the context of public health studies.

By combining socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical data, we reconstructed transmission chains in different contexts to better understand the most important determinants of transmission of HIV-1 infection in each scenario. We address potential pitfalls and methodological constraints, and present the main challenges, implications and applicability to future studies. We present the potential applicability and fit of AI algorithms in this context.

Many narratives exist of AI as a problem solver in health care. That also applies to global HIV-response, which is currently struggling due to funding cuts and a growing discrimination of several key populations in many countries. But do the capabilities of AI match the actual needs of communities? Is the narrative of more efficiency valid? And in what ways do tech-optimist narratives do further harm to the struggling global HIV-response? The presentation builds on experiences from the research project „AI_dshilfe labs“ by Deutsche Aidshilfe (German Aids Federation), which critically examines the role of AI in health care with a focus on HIV.

Dr. Pichit Buspavanich's presentation on sex, gender and diversity in medicine looks at the methodology and clinical aspects. Using the minority stress model and current data, it documents the higher mental health needs of trans*, intersex and non-binary people and examines the barriers to care. It also highlights gender and diversity data issues in clinical studies and presents the Diversity Minimal Item Set (DiMIS) as a practical tool for measuring diversity.

Mental health care around the globe faces a bottleneck. While the prevalence of mental health disorders continues to increase, the supply of mental health resources fails to grow at a comparative rate. The result is often long waiting times to obtain psychiatric care, and a widening gap between who needs treatment and who has access to it. Artificial intelligence (AI) is often touted as a solution by identifying high-risk patient groups, reallocating resources, predicting adverse events, and enhancing clinical documentation via AI 'scribes.' In reality, these AI implementations learn societal biases from their training data, thus they risk perpetuating or even amplifying existing inequities in mental healthcare. Much of my work is propelled by the question: "If we were to implement this AI tool today, would it perpetuate existing disparities in mental healthcare?" To this end, I study diagnostic inequities, examine how bias enters AI systems, test how variable selection shapes model behavior, and evaluate models with fairness metrics. In this talk, I'll share insights from projects using New York City electronic health records and nationwide Danish registry data.

Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is being prescribed with increasing frequency, as access to transgender healthcare is still problematic in many parts of the world. International guidelines, including those from organizations such as the World Professional Association for Transgender Health and the Endocrine Society, provide structured recommendations on the initiation of hormone therapy, monitoring, and adjustment of therapy to optimize patient satisfaction while minimizing adverse effects. These guidelines emphasize individualized treatment approaches, careful dosing, and regular clinical and laboratory follow-up.

While GAHT is generally considered safe and effective, it is associated with a range of potential side effects, including cardiovascular, thromboembolic, and metabolic risks. Importantly, many of the long-term metabolic consequences of hormone therapy remain insufficiently understood, particularly regarding body composition and energy balance, lipid metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. Current evidence is limited by small cohort sizes and a lack of long-term prospective data. Given the growing number of individuals receiving GAHT, there is a clear need for further research to better characterize its metabolic effects and long-term safety. Addressing these gaps will be essential to refine existing guidelines and further improve patient-centered care.

Sex differences manifest in various traits, including the risk of cardiovascular, metabolic and immunological conditions. Sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone contribute to these differences, but it’s often hard to separate the effects of hormones and genetics on phenotype. Despite the clear physical changes induced by gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), little is known about how it affects underlying physiological and biochemical processes. This is a significant gap in health knowledge, considering that over 1.5 million individuals identify as transgender in the USA alone and GAHT represents a critical medical intervention for many to align their physical characteristics with their gender identity.

In our group, we apply a systems biology approach, combining molecular and immunology techniques with next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics. By establishing longitudinal cohorts of individuals before and during the administration of feminizing and masculinizing GAHT, we can track molecular changes over time and link them to clinical outcomes. In this talk I will focus on our data showing how GAHT induces a unique blood methylation signature in transgender people through remodelling of several thousand differentially methylated CpG sites. The primary effect of GAHT was observed at regions of the genome that are sensitive to change during puberty. Our work highlights the need to broaden the field of ‘sex-specific’ immunity beyond cisgender males and cisgender females, as transgender people on GAHT exhibit a unique molecular profile.

The malleability of sex is a recurring cultural theme. At the beginning of the 20th century, however, this was explored in the laboratory. The political and medical question of the 19th century concerning the complementary differences between "man" and "woman" was to be answered through the use of hormones: Could definitive genders be created, or did biochemical agents prove the variability and plasticity of sex? These fundamental questions, further linked to the thesis of sex inversion, continue to accompany hormonal interventions in the body's systems to this day.

The researcher's body is a powerful yet often overlooked tool. Navigating non-affirming environments or presenting sensitive data requires more than cognitive expertise, it demands embodied intelligence. This experiential workshop uses theater and dance methodologies to build somatic resilience. Moving beyond standard "public speaking," participants will engage in movement and vocal exercises to:

• Establish Somatic Anchors: Develop postures that foster internal security and presence in high-stress settings.
• Command Vocal Space: Use theatrical resonance to articulate research with authority and clarity.
• Navigate Environments: Practice "embodied navigation" to read and respond to room dynamics while maintaining emotional safety.

By treating the body as a trainable system, this session provides a toolkit to bridge lived queer experience with professional output, empowering attendees to feel confident and protect their energy in any space.