GEORGETOWN, Guyana – The Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) has successfully concluded a landmark Motivational Interviewing (MI) training programme at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Held from September 17 to 19, the intensive course equipped regional healthcare providers with advanced MI techniques to strengthen patient engagement and accelerate the Caribbean’s progress toward ending AIDS as a public health threat.
The programme, building on the success of a prior learning journey to Amsterdam earlier in the year, provided participants with a comprehensive, in-depth exploration of MI, a patient-centred communication technique proven to enhance recruitment and retention in HIV prevention and treatment. Participants explored the spirit and process of MI, from engaging challenging patients and evoking change talk to concrete planning for behaviour change.
The curriculum blended theory with practical, hands-on demonstrations and role-playing sessions, ensuring participants could immediately integrate the knowledge and skills learned into their respective clinics and community settings.
“This training represents a transformative step in our regional HIV response,” said Dr Wendy Telgt Emanuelson, Director of the PANCAP Coordinating Unit (PCU). “By equipping healthcare providers with motivational interviewing skills, we are fostering deeper trust between clinicians and patients. This approach will not only improve adherence to PrEP and treatment but also empower individuals to take ownership of their health, bringing us closer to achieving the 95-95-95 targets and ending AIDS as a public health threat in the Caribbean.”
The training also focused on the latest scientific evidence and global guidelines, ensuring participants left with both the requisite communication skills and technical knowledge to provide cutting-edge care.
“Participants left motivated and equipped to cascade these skills within their health systems,” Dr Emanuelson added. “We have now empowered a core group of champions who will return to their respective countries not just to practice these skills, but to cascade them, creating a multiplier effect that will strengthen our entire health system’s response.”
Dr Shanti Singh Anthony, knowledge management coordinator at the PCU, emphasised the training’s strategic importance.
“The proficiency our clinicians demonstrated in integrating MI into their consultation process will create ripple effects across health systems. This isn’t just about individual skills, it’s about building a more compassionate, effective HIV response that leaves no one behind.”
The training programme represents PANCAP’s continued commitment to strengthening regional capacity and accelerating progress toward reaching the 95-95-95 targets through innovative, evidence-based approaches and aligns with the forthcoming Caribbean Regional Strategic Framework (CRSF) 2026–2030, which prioritises innovation, health system integration, and community-led solution
PANCAP extends sincere gratitude to the faculty and staff of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, the Pan-American Health Organization, and The Global Fund for making this training possible.
