Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Shool of Public Health researchers Amrita Rao, PhD, and Stefan Baral, MD, created the Stigma Dashboard to track progress to eliminating stigmas across different geographic regions.
“The more we can specify, measure, and comprehend the impact of stigma, the more effective it will be in addressing the underlying drivers of inequities and thereby working to increase equity,” Stefan Baral stated.
Inequities have persisted, despite substantial progress in the development and accessibility of HIV prevention and treatment services. In 2024, new infections are disproportionately impacting certain communities, including those that are sexually and gender diverse, racialized, or residing in specific regions, such as the Southern United States. Stigma also disproportionately impacts these communities. The well-being and dignity of individuals at risk for and living with HIV are ultimately impeded by the persistent presence of multiple forms of stigma, which operate on multiple levels to impede access to and consumption of healthcare services.
The goal of all HIV prevention and treatment services is to eliminate stigma. AIDSVu is an interactive online mapping tool that visualizes the impact of the HIV epidemic on communities. It recently added the JHU Stigma Dashboard, an interactive dashboard that will visualize data on stigma in communities most affected by HIV and illustrate progress in reducing stigma in different geographic regions. The dashboard currently displays data from the American Male Internet Survey, which was conducted among cisgender gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men in the United States. The dashboard currently contains data on stigmatized sexual behavior in three states: Maryland, New York and Georgia.
The developers aspire to establish a “common language” to address stigma among health departments, local organizations, and advocates through the Stigma Dashboard, which will function as a resource.
In order to facilitate the development of the dashboard, researchers will continue to gather data through focus group discussions and requirements assessments. Additionally, they intend to incorporate data on additional states with elevated HIV prevalence rates. Furthermore, they intend to employ the input to create interventions that will reduce the effects of stigma on HIV risk and advance health equity.