4C. HIV&AIDS Invited Speaker Session: Social, Political & Cultural Aspects: Putting power into peers
Tracks
| Monday, September 14, 2026 |
| 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM |
Details
Peers have been integral to the HIV response in Australia since the early days of the epidemic. However, the roles peer workers play have changed over time, and are shaped by the context in which they are practiced. Terms such as ‘peer’ and ‘lived experience’ have undergone a rapid evolution of late, a popularisation that too often engenders assumptions that go unquestioned. We assume, for example, that we know what/who peer workers are (or can be) and what HIV peer work does or should look like.
This panel aims to unpack those assumptions in order to emphasise the role that peer workers have played in ongoing systems and service change; to demonstrate that there is and always have been tensions at the heart of peer work, and that these tensions shift and change depending on geographic, historical, and programmatic differences; to provide insight into the heterogeneity of HIV peer work; to explore the power relations between peer worker and clinicians or community service workers; and to consider how we might better understand what peer workers, in particular HIV peer navigators on which this session focuses, navigate.
Speaker
Dr Geraldine Fela
Macquarie University
The place and role of peers in the early years of the HIV response
4:00 PM - 4:12 PMBiography
Professor Graham Brown
Professor
Australian Research Centre In Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, Australia
The role of peers in systems change in different contexts
4:12 PM - 4:24 PMBiography
Professor Graham Brown has been working in and researching community-led health promotion, social change, and evaluation for more than thirty years. He leads research teams focused on strengthening the role of community and peer-led organisations, and investigating clinical, community, and peer service partnerships to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV.
Mr Mauricio Gomez Mejia
Peer Services Coordinator
Queensland Positive People
Panel Member
4:30 PM - 5:30 PMBiography
Mao Gomez is the Peer Services Coordinator at Queensland Positive People, leading Peer Navigation, community engagement, and peer-led programs for people living with HIV across Queensland. With a background in HIV testing, peer support, and AOD prevention, Mao works to strengthen peer-led service delivery through trauma-informed, community-centred approaches. His work focuses on improving health outcomes, building meaningful community connections, and ensuring lived experience remains central to program development, service design, and systems advocacy within the HIV sector.
Mx Carlos Araya Perez
Hiv Peer Navigator & Health Promotion Officer
Lpv
Panel Member
4:30 PM - 5:30 PMBiography
Carles (they/he) is a Peer Navigator and Health Promotion Officer who works alongside people living with HIV, particularly migrants, to navigate complex health, legal, and social systems.
Originally from Chile, Carles moved to Australia in 2018 and began their advocacy following their HIV diagnosis in 2020. Their work is grounded in lived experience and focuses on creating safer, more inclusive spaces where people can access clear information, build confidence, and feel a sense of belonging.
Carles has been involved in peer education, public speaking, and community-led initiatives that support culturally diverse communities. Through their work, they are particularly interested in the intersections between migration, HIV, and systems of care, and the role peer navigation plays in bridging gaps between individuals and services.
X Emil Canita
Peer Navigator
Living Positive Victoria
Panel Member
4:30 PM - 5:30 PMBiography
