The new year definitely meant a new start for Monique Carry, PhD, MA, who on January 1 became the acting executive director of Prevention Access Campaign (PAC). The powerhouse nonprofit helped confirm and then broadcast the fact that people living with HIV who achieve and maintain viral suppression don’t transmit HIV to others through sex, a fact better known as Undetectable = Untransmittable, or U=U. Thanks to PAC, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, U=U has become a global movement, transforming what it means to live and love while HIV positive. We spoke with the Atlanta-based Carry about PAC’s past successes and future goals; visit POZ.com for the full interview.
Prevention Access Campaign (PAC) membersCourtesy of Monique Carry
Why is U=U so transformative?
Because it tells the truth, and it gives that truth back to people who were denied it for far too long. What makes U=U especially powerful is that it emerged from people living with HIV demanding that science be communicated honestly and without fear. In doing so, U=U challenged decades of stigma, misinformation and moral judgment.
U=U has helped people reclaim their sense of agency. It has changed how providers counsel clients, how partners understand risk and how communities talk about HIV. It has also opened the door to conversations about trust, disclosure, intimacy and dignity in ways that traditional prevention messages never could.
U=U reminds us that ending the HIV epidemic happens when we pair biomedical advances with truth and compassion. That is why this campaign still matters and why it continues to be a cornerstone of both effective public health and human rights.
You have extensive experience in global health and behavioral sciences, including 15 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Have you seen the power of U=U?
In my entire career, I have never seen a message resonate so profoundly or so immediately transform how people see themselves and their worth.
I have sat with young people living with HIV who shared poems, songs and skits they had written about what it meant to finally understand U=U. For some of them, learning that they could live full lives, love freely and not transmit HIV quite literally saved their lives. I have had friends tell me that learning about U=U was the moment they chose sobriety, sought stable housing and began to imagine a future they did not think was possible before. And I have held babies born to mixed-status couples who were once told that having a family is out of reach but who now know otherwise because of U=U.
I see how U=U changes lives. What stays with me is the relief, hope and joy people feel when they learn the truth and the heavy burden of fear is lifted.
Those experiences also make me think about what is still possible. What would it look like if every person learned about U=U at the moment of diagnosis? If laws, policies and practices were shaped by what the science tells us is true?
Prevention Access Campaign (PAC) membersCourtesy of Monique Carry
Tell us about a recent PAC success.
One of the most important milestones was the launch of U=U University [a series of free online training courses], which opened new ways for people around the world to learn about U=U, build practical skills and bring this knowledge directly into their communities.
Finally, what’s ahead this year?
2026 is an exciting year for PAC, as we launch the “10 Years of U=U” campaign, which is both a celebration and a collective invitation. It honors the extraordinary work of partners and communities across every region, from marching in the streets of Paris to riding bikes across Namibia! We are also inviting partners and community members to bring U=U University directly into their own networks and communities.
I am excited about what lies ahead because the work is not finished and the path forward is being shaped collectively, and I am honored to be part of that journey.
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