Breaking the Bias and shattering the stigma for individuals living with HIV

International Women’s Day is a time for celebrating the social, cultural and economic inroads women have made towards gender equality. This year’s theme, Break the Bias, has resonated with many women who have navigated long-standing barriers, glass ceilings and oppressive stigmas that continue to exist both at the workplace and in the greater community. This year, the Faculty of Science welcomes five alumni to our High Tea Social, including Nasra Smith (BSc '11), to discuss the necessities of breaking down existing biases.

Working through biases and community stigma is a daily battle for Nasra Smith who works at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN) in Toronto. As Senior Lead, Policy and System Initiatives for OHTN, Nasra is dedicated to removing the inequalities surrounding access of treatment of individuals living with and those at risk for HIV. 

Nasra immigrated to Canada from East Africa at a young age and knew early on that she would like to study biology at the University of Waterloo. Co-op provided the financial support to her education as well as allowed her to explore a variety of jobs and interests, “I had a great opportunity in an immunology lab at HIV Research Toronto,” she says. “I returned full time over the summer and eventually concluded that bench lab work wasn’t for me, but that HIV research and public health really was. I wanted to make an impact on people and the general population with HIV.” After a year, Nasra went to New York University and obtained her Masters in Public Health and felt ready to bring her passions back to Canada.

In 2020, Nasra joined OHTN, a non-profit organization whose mission is “improve the health and lives of people living with and at risk of HIV by using data and evidence to drive change”. The OHTN partners with other organizations with a joint goal of reducing transmission of HIV and improving care and support of individuals living with HIV. “I work with an extraordinary team,” Nasra says. “They’ve created so much awareness to the general public through their campaigns and projects. They are making incredible inroads across many cultures and communities, destigmatizing what living with HIV means.”

In her current role at OHTN, Nasra is leading several initiatives that align with this mission. One of the biggest hurdles to HIV treatment is the cost and ease of access to medication used to reduce the viral load among people living with HIV. Nasra is advocating for universal drug coverage for Ontarians, whose HIV medications for treatment and prevention are not currently covered by the province. A second project Nasra is leading is for international students who come to Canada to study and are trying to navigate our health care system while grappling with the emotional stigmas tied to their sexual identify. She is also heading an initiative aimed at prevention of HIV: helping eligible people understand the benefits of taking pre-exposure, or PrEP, medication.

One of the projects Nasra has been the most excited about is the establishment of HQ Toronto, a one-stop, high-tech centre of excellence for men who have sex with men and transgender individuals. HQ Toronto provides express testing for sexually transmitted diseases and HIV as well as treatment plans, access to clinic doctors and mental health services as needed. OHTN and its team of partners* expect the centre, which is the first of its kind in Canada, to open its doors this spring. “The centre is barrier free, offers services in multiple languages as well for the disabled, and works with people regardless of whether they have insurance or not. Our goal is to eliminate the holes in current HIV treatment plans,” she says, “If we can reduce the timelines between testing, treatment and overall care then people will be more likely to stick to the full regiment and we can avoid the cascade effect that often happens after testing. That is a big hurdle in reducing the viral load of someone with HIV and preventing HIV altogether through PrEP.”

Until HIV is cured, barriers to treatment are improved, and a vaccine created, Nasra doesn’t see her changing jobs any time soon. She admits she’s still learning and is excited to see where her career will take her. “Ultimately my hope of course is that HIV is cured someday, “she says, “I’ll keep pushing these initiatives so everyone with HIV can live a full happy life until we find a cure. I guess that means I’d be out of a job for good when that happens, but I’m okay with that.”

Nasra currently lives in Toronto with her husband, David, whom she met during her studies in New York.

*Additional partners of HQ include: 2-Sprited People of the First Nations (2-Spirits); AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT); Action Positive; Alliance or South Asian AIDS Prevention (ASAAP); Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS); Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (BlackCAP): Hassle Free Clinic and the Centre for Spanish-Speaking Peoples (CSSP)