H-TEAM’s Last Mile project highlighted at the Fast-Track Cities 2022 conference

On October 11-13, the Fast-Track Cities 2022 conference took place in Sevilla, Spain. The conference brought together people from more than 450 cities and municipalities that comprise the Fast-Track Cities network.

Sharjeel Muhammad, Intervention Developer in the H-TEAM’s Last Mile project, was invited to give a poster presentation on “Promoting HIV Testing Among Irregularly Tested MSM: A City-Based Approach to Reduce Late Diagnosis in Amsterdam”.

The brief presentation encompassed an overview of ecological factors and determinants of the late diagnosis within the last mile population, followed by a summary of the project’s approach to reduce late diagnosis. Muhammad explained that their approach combines the Behavior Change Wheel with MSM community co-creation, and the use of innovative tools such as empathy mapping, to develop User Personas that help understand the hard-to-reach Last Mile population. The audience was apprised of the importance and enormous potential of community engagement and participation in closing the gap in HIV testing. Herewith, Muhammed hopes to have inspired other Fast Track Cities in approaching last mile HIV infections.