Aidsmap, also known as NAM aidsmap, is a
website which publishes independent, accurate and accessible information and news about
HIV and
AIDS.[1][2][3][4] The aidsmap website is run by a charity based in the United Kingdom, NAM.[1]
"NAM" originally stood for "national AIDS manual" and referred to a 1987 compendium of all information about HIV published for non-scientists in
England.[5][6][2][7] Since aidsmap became an international organisation,[3] NAM is no longer used as an acronym and there is no longer any particular "aids manual" being maintained.[8][9][2]
NAM aidsmap's vision is a world where HIV is no longer a threat to health or happiness.
Timeline of work
NAM was founded in 1987[2] by Peter Scott,[5][10] who was then working for the
London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard. He was seeking to address the public's demand for a source of information about HIV.[11]
Subsequent Directors were Will Anderson (to 1996),[12] Colin Nee (1996–2001),[12][13] Caspar Thomson (2001–2016)[14][12] and Matthew Hodson (2016–present).[14][15][12]
In 1992 the organisation began publishing the newsletter now called the HIV Treatment Update,[16] which was designed to give patients the information they need to help direct their choices for HIV treatment.[11][17][18][19]
In 1998 aidsmap.com was launched as an online resource[2][20][21] for all printed materials. It was a partnership project involving NAM and The British HIV Association,[21][20][22] and later the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. The original site editors were Edward King[23] and Keith Alcorn.[24]
In 2006 aidsmap.com was awarded first prize in the Patient Information Website category of the 2006 British Medical Association’s (BMA) Medical Books Competition.[25]
In 2019, NAM aidsmap launched its new aidsmap website after a major redevelopment project.[26]
In December 2019, aidsmapLIVE, an HIV information series broadcast on NAM's social media channels, won both the Innovation and Media award at the nOscars, hosted by Naz Project London.[27][28]