FRANK WONG

Numbers can be deceptive. In China, less than 1% of the country’s 1.3 billion people are HIV positive. “But when you look at specific subpopulations, the HIV rate is very high,” says Frank Wong, associate professor of behavioral sciences and health education.

Wong’s research focuses on men who have sex with men (MSM), a subgroup that accounts for 5% of HIV cases in China. In urban areas like Shanghai, Wong’s ongoing studies of MSM—of whom half are prostitutes— shows an HIV rate of 8%. Through his research, Wong is addressing the stigma and social barriers that put MSM, gay and straight and including married men, at risk for HIV. Study participants are tested and counseled on prevention and treat- ment. He plans to use the results to broaden governmental and cultural acceptance of MSM and other groups with HIV.

His study has yielded an unexpected finding: a pattern of intimate partner violence (IPV). He and RSPH colleague Kristen Dunkle plan to study this behavior further among MSM in China and South Africa, where Dunkle’s research has shown a link between IPV among heterosexual couples and increased risk of HIV.

For Wong, the most important weapon in confronting HIV/AIDS is starting a conversation. “I don’t know of any other disease in modern history that would allow people to talk so openly about their sexuality,” he says. “We’ve got to talk about it, no matter how difficult.”

Sandra Thurman calls Africa her second home, where Rollins’ interfaith health experts collaborate with community leaders in Kenya’s Mukuru slum to prevent HIV.