About the Mapping Sero Surveillance project
After you get an HIV test, your blood sample and personal health information follow a path through various institutions that most people never see or understand. Mapping Sero Surveillance is a research project that seeks to bring greater transparency to where blood samples and personal health information goes — which, for many, is a deeply personal and private experience.
Meet The Research Team
Mapping Sero Surveillance is a collaborative community-based project led by people living with HIV and people who work in the social sciences, law, community service provision, organizing and advocacy.
This website was written by Amy Wah, Senior Policy Lead at HALCO - HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario, and Alexander McClelland, Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Carleton University. The website was designed by Loop: Design for Social Good.
Mapping Sero Surveillance Research Team (in alphabetical order by last name):
- Micheal Burtch, HIV/Harm Reduction Program Manager, Maggie’s Toronto Sex Workers Action Project
- Emerich Daroya, Lecturer & Assistant Professor, Gender, Sexualitiy & Diversity Studies, La Trobe University/Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
- Martin French, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, Concordia University
- Colin Hastings, Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo
- Andrea Krüsi, Assistant Professor, School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University
- Alexander McClelland, Associate Professor, Department of Criminology, Carleton University (Principal Investigator)
- Stephen Molldrem, Department of Bioethics & Health Humanities, University of Texas, Medical Branch, Galveston
- Maureen Owino, Doctoral Student, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University
- Ryan Peck, Executive Director, HALCO - HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario
- Amy Wah, Senior Policy Lead, HALCO - HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario
We received funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
Why Mapping HIV Test Samples Matters
There is no clear, accessible information explaining to people where their blood samples and personal health information go after an HIV test or they are getting ongoing treatment for HIV in Ontario. For many, getting tested is a personal and vulnerable act — but what happens to that sample and personal health information afterward is rarely discussed, let alone understood.
This project was developed to make the pathways of HIV-related blood tests and personal health information visible. The aim is to help people be better informed, and to assist with informed consent, the awareness of privacy rights, understanding of public health practices, and support the bodily autonomy of people living with HIV, and those getting tested.
This website is the outcome of the Mapping Sero Surveillance project, a collaborative, community-based research project co-created by people living with HIV, and those who work in the social sciences, law, community service provision, organizing and advocacy.
This resource is designed to help people across Ontario better understand the flow of health data, the roles of public health and healthcare institutions, and the policies that shape these processes. In a time when trust in public health systems is fragile and health privacy matters more than ever, we believe transparency is a first step toward informed choice, accountability, and stronger systems.
HIV testing and monitoring is not just a medical act — it can carry real social and legal consequences. Test results, even when negative, or undetectable, are recorded in health databases and accessed by public institutions.
In some cases, HIV status can be used in legal contexts, including criminalization or immigration proceedings.
By mapping how data travels, we aim to support more informed decision-making and promote a rights-based approach to HIV care and surveillance.
The word “Sero” in our project name is the French prefix in "séropositif", which is the term used if someone is HIV-positive. Sero, refers to serum, which is part of the blood. In French, the term is used in the context of blood or blood-related conditions, such as HIV. The term "séropositif" indicates a positive test for a specific pathogen in blood serum, and the term or séronegative, indicates a negative test for a specific pathogen in blood serum.
We have been funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).
How to Cite The Mapping Sero Surveillance Project Website
Wah, A. & McClelland, A. (2025). Mapping Sero Surveillance, {website link to be added here}
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