A Push for Zero HIV Infections by 2020.
Rory Moore MPH Candidate '19
Breakfast: Typically, I eat cereal with a banana for breakfast. If time permits, I’ll have toast with peanut butter.
Hometown: Northglenn, Colorado
Extracurriculars: I like singing, hiking, hanging out with friends, and walking around beaches in Boston.
Rory Moore is a second-year MPH student at the School of Public Health, pursuing certificates in Health Policy & Law and Sex, Sexuality, & Gender. Moore completed his practicum over the summer at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and we sat down with him to hear about his experience.
What did you do for your practicum with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health?
I was a Harvard Rappaport Public Policy Summer Fellow at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Office of Sexual Health and Youth Development, MDPH Office of HIV/AIDS, and Commission on LGBTQ Youth. With the MDPH Office of HIV/AIDS, I partnered with the AIDS Action Committee and assisted the Getting to Zero program coordinator with the Cambridge HIV Innovations in Action Conference moderator guides. Also, I was a note-taker for the conference Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) track, which discussed proposed strategies and solutions for getting to zero HIV infections in Massachusetts for MSM, specifically for those of color. And I worked with the MDPH Office of Sexual Health and Youth Development on finalizing fact sheets for consumers and providers on the Protect Access to Confidential Healthcare (PATCH) Act, Bill S. 2296. This bill ensures that youth aged 18 to 26, adults on their partner’s plan, and minors under 18 years of age that meet specific criteria have access to confidential healthcare services whether those be sensitive services or not. It accomplishes this by allowing youth, minors, and adults to choose where their summary of payments or explanation of benefits is sent, unlike before, where it was automatically sent to the policyholder, which was the parent, partner, or legal party authorized to consent for their health care.
I also worked with the Commission on LGBTQ Youth to incorporate solutions for their 2019 fiscal year recommendations from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Plan to Eliminate HIV Discrimination, AIDS-Related Deaths, and New HIV Infections; the Massachusetts Integrated HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Plan; and the Boston EMA Ryan White Part A 2017–2021 Integrated HIV Prevention and Care Plan.
What led you to be interested in this kind of work?
As an African American gay male, I have come to understand the health inequities and health disparities present among LGBTIQ+ individuals, and it is because we are an oppressed and marginalized group. LGBTIQ+ individuals deserve to be treated with respect and should have the same opportunities to live prosperous lives as our straight counterparts. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 50 percent of black MSM will have an HIV diagnosis in their lifetime. Blacks and Latinos are disproportionately impacted by HIV in comparison to Caucasians, and it is a result of the existent health disparities, health inequities, and social determinants of health in our society. My particular focus is on reducing HIV infections among MSM of color, and I was interested in seeing what government institutions in Massachusetts were currently doing to assist these efforts, which is why I originally wanted to work with the Commission on LGBTQ Youth and MDPH Office of HIV/AIDS.
However, I was given the opportunity to also work with the MDPH Office of Sexual Health and Youth Development, because I understand that when it comes to sexual health and reproductive services, barriers such as stigma, discrimination, structural racism, and lack of access to HIV prevention like PrEP (Pro-Exposure Prophylaxis) and PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) and HIV treatment, are primary causes of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the LGBTIQ+ community. This type of work is really important to discern if Massachusetts wants to get to zero HIV infections by 2020, which Mayor Walsh committed to when he signed the August 31, 2017, Paris Declaration.
What did you hope to accomplish during your time with MDPH?
For my practicum with the MDPH, I was hoping to learn key viable strategies and solutions for truly getting Massachusetts to have zero HIV infections come 2020. These strategies and solutions will be a multi-faceted approach that encompasses all levels of the social-ecological model, touching at the individual, interpersonal, community, and societal levels. They will also suggest the utilization of social networks within this process. On a personal level, I hoped to be able to engage with key stakeholders within the community striving to eliminate HIV infections in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and be presented with new opportunities for my self-development and career. Also, I wanted to further my understanding of the similarities and differences between conducting work at the community level and government level.
How does this position fit with your career goals?
This fellowship has inspired me to want to continue to gain more professional experience in the HIV field both in the government sphere and nonprofit sphere. Ultimately, I hope to attend law school to be able to have a legal analysis framework that assists with my policy recommendations and community level interventions for reducing health disparities and health inequities for LGBTIQ+ individuals. I am currently interning with GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) as their fall public affairs and education intern. GLAD is a LGBTIQ+ law firm that strives to end discrimination based on gender identity, gender expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation. Hopefully, I will be able to utilize my public health lens to nuance the impacts of law and policy on LGBTIQ+ health.
Do you have any advice for students wanting to do this work and effect change?
For any students wanting to do this type of work, I recommend that you start asking yourselves what specifically are you looking to do within the HIV field. Further that conversation by focusing on a particular population like MSM, people who inject drugs, transgender individuals, immigrants, WSW (Women Who Have Sex With Women), etc. Next, I would research potential agencies that conduct the work that you are interested in doing. Then, reach out to those agencies and see if they can offer paid fellowships or know of any grants that you can apply for to assist your fellowship if you need financial assistance. Lastly, I would try to plan earlier rather than later, because many students compete for these opportunities.