Four members of The Well Project's staff presented a poster at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Based on findings from our IRB-approved community-based research project illuminating the impact of language, "Words Matter: The Impact of Stigmatizing Language in the Healthcare Setting Among Cisgender and Transgender Women and Nonbinary Adults Living with HIV in the US" features the collaborative work of a diverse, multidisciplinary group of women co-authors.
The results demonstrate that experiences of stigmatizing language can negatively affect individuals’ physical and mental health, self-esteem, and quality of life while also interfering with the public-health goals of HIV care and treatment.
Check out Mark S. King's coverage of the poster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnC2zEylamM
Please check out the poster image below – or download the PDF version!
