Each year the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) and the Canadian Association for HIV Research (CAHR) present the CAHR-CANFAR Excellence in Research Awards. This year’s award for Community-Based Research (CBR) was given to the Peer Research Associates (PRA) of the BC-CfE’s Thrive team.

Thrive was a BC-CfE led CBR study with a three-year duration and funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), focused on older adults living with HIV (OALHIV) accessing home and community care (HCC). Recognizing that OALHIV (i.e., over the age of 50) now constitute over 50 percent of all people accessing HIV treatment in BC and as they age, the need for supportive care in non-acute settings, including HCC, is increasing, the Thrive research study was created to better support people’s ability to thrive during all stages of life.

This honour is given to “highlight and celebrate the contributions of Canadian researchers in HIV/AIDS research in Canada and internationally”, and demonstrates the power of perspective and insight gained by the Thrive team by speaking to, and learning from, those with lived/living experience.

The PRA members of the Thrive team includes Sharyle Lyndon, Antonio Marante, Patience Magagula, and Claudette Cardinal.

On winning the award, Sharyle Lyndon said, “What makes this research so valuable is that when we (HIV/AIDS long-term survivors) were diagnosed we were told to make our arrangements to die, not to prepare to get old. Many of us spent what we had (physically, emotionally, and financially) to do so with dignity, but also to help those that lived on past us.” She added, “As I have learned and shared often, all the experiences I encounter—both good and bad—can be of help to others.” Lyndon notes, 
 “The Thrive project has allowed me to believe that my hopes for this to be true are seeing fruition. And my dream is that this research will continue and will fall into the hands of people in a position of power to make some, if not all, the necessary changes.”

In addition to her work as a Thrive PRA, Patience Magagula is also the founder of the Afro-Canadian Positive Network of BC, and has been on the board of directors and committees of organizations like the Pacific AIDS Network and Canadian Treatment Action Council. Upon arrival from South Africa as a refugee to Canada, Magagula had only recently been diagnosed. Her doctor at the time incorrectly told her it was a crime in Canada to not disclose one’s HIV/AIDS status to sexual partners. This misinformation led to her believing that HIV/AIDS itself was illegal in Canada, and for years she kept her status to herself, as a shameful, and isolating, secret.

About her work with Thrive, Magagula said, “I believe that our research works against institutional racism that heightens HIV transmission in marginalized communities. We’ll achieve our goals to alleviate the challenges of fear, concerns, and worry that impacts people’s lives.”

Claudette Cardinal identifies as a Cree Indigenous woman and connects her involvement with Thrive to the teachings of her late grandmother, who taught her to pray for the sick. On working with Thrive, she said, “Research is a natural extension of this desire to understand and to improve the world in which we live. Our connection to the Land reminds us we are all aging, and what better way to do that than connecting with our peers. The Thrive team has helped
with working in collaboration with OALHIV, my peers, the community, and providers.”

Antonio Marante has been living with HIV for more than two decades. His role in Thrive
was to help recruit participants and he found that he was able to do so successfully because of the shared experience of living with HIV. Speaking with someone who is also living with HIV enabled Thrive participants to open up more during interviews, and led to deeper sharing of their journeys of living with HIV while accessing HCC services.

Marante said, “Even though Canada provides high standards in healthcare, HCC requires more attention from policymakers, such as providing more service hours for patients who require it, having a fair HCC assessment, and enabling healthcare provider collaborations.”


Currently, the Thrive team has wrapped up data collection, having interviewed OALHIV and providers. Thrive is now in the knowledge translation phase, sharing the findings with participants, AIDS service and community organizations, and through publications and conferences.

Thrive is a relevant study that needs to continue because we have just touched the surface. Our small and mighty team worked together virtually during the pandemic, and we all learned how to thrive within the Thrive study. We need more advocacy to rekindle the fire within and create more spaces for older adults with HIV to live within. It was an honour to hear from all who shared with us.