Meet Amy Stapleford Jackson - A Friendly Rectal Microbicide Advocate

"IRMA has gathered together people who are doing great work in the fields of sexual health, scientific research, medicine, HIV prevention, and microbicide advocacy and by pooling these resources is making important strides advocating for safe, effective rectal microbicides." - Amy Stapleford Jackson, Chapel Hill, USA

Amy is a many-talented and busy advocate. Among several projects, she works with a scientist to develop novel formulations for user-friendly, safe sexual lubricants which could someday also deliver microbicides. She also serves as the Sexuality Education Coordinator at the Sinclair Institute.

Her current pet project is an informative venture: "the creation of a table of information about common lubricant ingredients…so that there's an easy resource from which folks can learn what scientists know and don't know about the ingredients in their lubes." She became interested in IRMA's work after she shared her lube findings with some rectal microbicide advocates, and was excited to be asked to join IRMA's Lubricant Safety Working Group and IRMA.

Amy feels IRMA's work is especially important because of the dialogue it encourages and nurtures between people of disparate fields with a common interest. "Microbicides are a natural extension of what people already do: use lubrication during sex," she says: "If a microbicide could be found which would be safe and non-toxic for the user and would also reduce transmission rates for HIV (and hopefully other STIs), people will have an amazing tool for reducing sexual risk while also increasing sexual health and pleasure."

In her advocacy work Amy hopes to spread her knowledge and enthusiasm with sexual health professionals and consumers, with the goal of making lubes safer, more pleasurable, and someday a vessel for microbicides.

Much of Amy's free time is spent invested in her projects, but when she isn't working Amy enjoys Sudoku, audio books, and savoring good food and wine.

Read about other friendly rectal microbicides advocates. Newly featured advocates include Daniel Nuñez, Luis Fernando Galarza, Maheswar Satpathy, Vanessa Marquez, and Mark Hubbard.

Want to join the best e-mail discussion list on new prevention technologies on the planet? Send a note to IRMA here - rectalmicro@gmail.com - and we will get you signed up.Joining the list makes you an automatic IRMA member too!

[If an item is not written by an IRMA member, it should not be construed that IRMA has taken a position on the article's content, whether in support or in opposition.]