For World AIDS Day 2025, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research profiled REACH Nexus, a national research group based at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, that is driving innovative public health interventions to meet people where they are.
From bringing new sexually transmitted and blood-borne infection (STBBI) tests to market, to leading Canada’s national HIV self-testing program, to deploying smart vending machines that provide free health and wellness supplies, REACH Nexus is expanding low-barrier options across the country. These initiatives are connecting people to care sooner and helping reduce rates of HIV, syphilis, and other STBBIs.
Canada is facing a worsening landscape: new HIV diagnoses rose 35 percent between 2022 and 2023, reaching 2,434 cases. Infectious syphilis cases climbed to 12,135 in 2023, and congenital syphilis reached 53 cases—surging 77 percent and 220 percent since 2018. Saskatchewan and Manitoba continue to see the highest rates. Congenital syphilis, transmitted during pregnancy or childbirth, can cause severe health complications or even death for newborns.
An estimated 7,000 people in Canada are living with undiagnosed HIV. Many encounter barriers to testing, including distance from services, past negative healthcare experiences, stigma, and discrimination.
For Dr. Sean Rourke, this work is fundamentally about health equity—ensuring everyone can access care with dignity and respect.
“Our research has real impact,” he says. “We’re reaching people who, without testing and treatment, would face serious illness or die much earlier. We’re changing health trajectories, adding years to people’s lives, and improving their quality of life.”
Read the full story at CIHR here.
