The African Women Prevention Community Accountability Board extends its heartfelt congratulations to Ms. Yvette Raphael on receiving the prestigious AAAS Mani L. Bhaumik Breakthrough of the Year Award. We are immensely proud of this remarkable recognition, and of the courage, vision, and unrelenting leadership she continues to demonstrate as an African woman leading in HIV prevention science and advocacy.
Yvette’s dedication to advancing HIV prevention research, her passion for community accountability, and her commitment to ensuring that scientific breakthroughs translate into real, life-changing interventions for African women and girls is both inspiring and commendable. Her work embodies the kind of leadership that dares to envision and push for a future where every girl is born HIV free and lives a long, healthy, and productive life without the burden of HIV on her shoulders as evidenced by her leadership for the choice manifesto together with AWPCAB members in Eastern and Southern Africa.
As African governments prepare to scale up new innovations in HIV prevention, and as the world awaits FDA approval and WHO guidelines for long-acting lenacapavir (LEN) for PrEP, this award signals not just a moment of pride, but a call to action. The journey of LEN for PrEP is a powerful story of persistence, science, and advocacy and thanks to champions like Yvette, it is a story that continues with great momentum.
This recognition is not just a personal achievement, but a collective victory for all those committed to ending HIV in Africa. As AWPCAB, we stand with Yvette, and we echo the call for accelerated rollout and equitable access to innovative prevention options for all especially adolescent girls and young women across our continent.
Congratulations once again, Yvette, and to your co-recipients Wesley Sundquist, chair of the University of Utah Department of Biochemistry; Moupali Das, vice president, Clinical Development, HIV Prevention & Pediatrics at Gilead Sciences. Let this award fuel the fire for governments, funders, and partners to act swiftly in keeping the HIV prevention agenda and choice alive. The time for breakthrough is now!
Read more: The Road to Lenacapavir – A Breakthrough in HIV Treatment
