The Aging and HIV Institute (A&H) advances policy and systems change by producing analysis, framing, and public commentary that clarify how aging and HIV intersect within existing frameworks. Our work focuses on the points where policy language, planning structures, and accountability mechanisms shape real-world inclusion.
Rather than publishing frequent updates, A&H curates a body of work intended to remain useful over time. These materials are designed to support policymakers, advocates, and systems leaders seeking clearer alignment across aging, disability, behavioral health, and HIV systems.
Policy Briefs and Concept Papers
A&H develops policy briefs and concept memos that examine how aging frameworks define populations, assign responsibility, and translate equity commitments into practice. These documents are often used to support early-stage policy discussion, advisory work, and cross-sector alignment.
Topics addressed include:
- Inclusion of people aging with HIV in aging and disability policy frameworks
- Alignment between statutory law, statewide plans, and executive initiatives
- Durability and accountability in equity-driven aging policy
These materials are written to inform decision-making rather than advocate for predetermined outcomes.
Framing and Position Statements
A&H produces short-form framing papers and public statements that clarify how inclusion operates at the systems level. This work is grounded in the belief that language matters most when it shapes planning, measurement, and responsibility.
Framing work often addresses:
- The difference between visibility and accountability
- How discretionary inclusion creates uneven outcomes
- Why naming populations in policy frameworks is a prerequisite for equitable planning
These pieces are intended to support consistent understanding across sectors, not to respond to news cycles.
Public Commentary and Essays
Some of A&H’s thought leadership appears first as public commentary, including essays and reflections shared through professional and policy-facing platforms. When these pieces offer durable insight, they are adapted and curated here as part of A&H’s long-view body of work.
This writing connects lived experience to policy analysis without relying on personal narrative as proof. Its purpose is to make systems dynamics legible, particularly where they are often taken for granted.
Using Lived Experience Responsibly
A&H treats lived experience as a source of policy insight, not as personal testimony offered for persuasion. Lived experience is used to examine how systems operate in practice, including where policy language, planning processes, and institutional norms place the burden of adaptation on individuals rather than on systems themselves.
This work recognizes that truth-telling can carry a nervous-system impact for everyone involved. When deeply held assumptions are named, discomfort is not always a sign of harm. At times, it reflects a system being asked to adapt. A&H pays attention to whether that impact leads to learning and accountability, or whether it triggers avoidance, defensiveness, or a retreat to comfort.
Visibility with purpose, in this context, is not about enduring harm or asking individuals to regulate themselves so systems can remain unchanged. It is about engaging only where there is a demonstrated willingness to respond to what is being named, to share responsibility, and to treat discomfort as information rather than as a threat.
By grounding policy analysis in lived experience in this way, A&H helps make systems dynamics legible, particularly where they are often taken for granted or rendered invisible by institutional norms.
How This Work Is Used
A&H’s policy and thought leadership supports:
- Advisory and committee engagement
- Systems education through speaking and convenings
- Collaboration with advocates and partner organizations
- Early-stage policy development and refinement
Our goal is to contribute analysis that others can carry forward, adapt, and apply within their own contexts.