Stacey is the Director of Research Engagement at AVAC where she oversees AVAC’s advocacy, engagement, literacy, and related efforts around products in the research and development (R&D) pipeline. Her primary responsibilities include directing AVAC’s USAID-funded Coalition to Accelerate and Support Prevention Research (CASPR) Project, an Africa-centered advocacy movement promoting HIV prevention R&D as a core component of the global HIV response; as well as overseeing AVAC’s Good Participatory Practice (GPP) efforts. Stacey also oversees AVAC’s growing body of research engagement outside the field of HIV prevention, including HIV cure, STIs, and COVID. Since joining AVAC, Stacey has been instrumental in securing 10 years and $40M of funding for the CASPR Project, has helped grow CASPR to include primarily Africa-based partners, and has supported the adaptation of the GPP guidelines from HIV prevention to four other disease and research areas.
Before joining AVAC, Stacey worked was part of IAVI’s Country and Regional Programs team for 7 years, where her proudest accomplishment was developing the VaxLit Toolkit, a research literacy tool primarily for clinical site staff, communities, and other country stakeholders. She also took a short break from the HIV world to develop and implement a research literacy program for the TB Alliance.
Stacey joined AVAC in 2011. As of 2023, she has over twenty years of experience in HIV prevention research, which began in South Africa helping prepare the first HIV vaccine trial site in the country. Over the years, she has served long-term posts in Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda (which included summiting Mount Kilimanjaro!). She now resides in Atlanta, Georgia, where she enjoys the hot energy of the city, as well as a slow, cold drink on her front porch.