Matthew Capriotti and Bonnie Sugiyama

SJSU to Zero: Combating HIV Stigma

SJSU to Zero is the university’s first formal campaign to focus on both HIV prevention and HIV stigma reduction. Its message promotes the availability of screening for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections at the Student Health Center and at off-campus locations throughout Santa Clara County.

Led by Matthew Capriotti and Director of SJSU’s PRIDE Center and Gender Equity Center Bonnie Sugiyama, the campaign also seeks to create an environment where students feel at ease communicating about their sexual health.

“If our students are comfortable with hearing about and talking about HIV, it destigmatizes the disease and they are more likely to seek out testing and treatment,” explains Sugiyama.

SJSU to Zero student health educators spearhead the project. They table on 7th Street Paseo to educate students one-onone, collaborate with other campuses to conduct joint events, and partner with SJSU instructors to create innovative assignments that infuse HIV education into course curricula.

Capriotti’s research focuses on the health and well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals, as well as on the delivery of evidence-based treatments for Tourette Syndrome and other tic disorders. Yet it is seeing his students become excited about this field of study that is the most rewarding part of his work.

“Our students genuinely care about this project. They enthusiastically engage in the day-to-day work of getting out there on campus and have turned our campaign from an idea to a reality.”

SJSU HIV Student Health Educator Julia Balibrera, ’19 Nursing (pronouns: she, her, hers). Post graduation, Jules will work as a nurse in the field of pediatrics, while maintaining professional interests in the fields of sexual wellness, health education, and queering healthcare.

Psychology, College of Social Sciences
Sponsor: The Health Trust

SJSU Research Foundation 2019 Annual Report