Would you like to learn more about the District of Columbia Clinical Trials Unit (DC CTU)? If so, please click here to sign up for their new quarterly newsletter! The DC CTU is an NIH-funded initiative composed of Whitman-Walker Institute's AIDS Clinical Trials Group Clinical Research Site and the George Washington University HIV Prevention Trials Network Clinical Research Site. In partnership with the DC CFAR, scientists, clinicians, and community members, this regionally focused clinical research unit is designed to address the HIV epidemic in the nation’s capital. If you are interested in learning about the trials underway or more about the DC CTU, sign up for the new newsletter here.

DC CFAR and DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center Investigators Drs. Rachel Denyer, Julie Zemskova and Debra Benator recently published an article in the International Journal of STD & AIDS September 2022 entitled "HIV treatment with dolutegravir and doravirine: rationale for selection and clinical outcomes in a highly treatment experienced population". The authors explore the combined use of dolutegravir and doravirine when standard antiretroviral regimens are not acceptable.

Click here to read the full article.

Please join us in congratulating the multiple DC CFAR Investigators who are the recipients of seven 2022 NIH CFAR Administrative Supplements! Two supplements were awarded to continue to support the CFAR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pipeline Initiative (CDEIPI). The local program entitled "DC CDEIPI: Developing an Inclusive Generation of HIV Researchers through Diversity and Community" is led by Dr. Kim Blankenship (AU), Dr. Mark Burke (HU) and Provost Anthony Wutoh (HU). The national CDEIPI Coordinating Center is led by Dr. Lisa Bowleg (GW), Dr. Alan Greenberg (GW), Dr. Manya Magnus (GW), and Provost Anthony Wutoh (HU). Three supplements were awarded in support of the National Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative. These projects are led by Dr. Sarah Calabrese (GW) on "Development of an HIV Status-Neutral Video Intervention to Reduce Stigma and Promote U=U and PrEP Among Sexual and Gender Minority DC Community Members", Dr. Donaldson Conserve (GW) on "Development of a Community-based HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Service Delivery Intervention for Black Adults in the District of Columbia", and Dr. Carlos Rodríguez-Díaz (GW) on "Using a positive deviance approach for PrEP implementation among Latino populations in Puerto Rico and Washington, DC". One supplement was awarded to support a request for new equipment by Dr. Sergei Nekhai (HU) entitled "CytoFLEX S Flow Analyzer to characterize HIV-1 infected and cART-affected cells". The seventh supplement was awarded to support an Inter-CFAR Meeting led by Dr. Nina Yamanis (AU) on "Accelerating collaboration and opportunities for scale up to end the HIV epidemic for Latinas/os/xs in the Mid-Atlantic region".

Click here for more information.

Please join the DC CFAR Developmental Core Lecture Series: My Path to Independence in HIV Research on Wednesday, October 5, from 4:00-5:00 pm ET. This seminar will feature Dr. Lisa Bowleg, Professor of Applied Social Psychology at George Washington University and Co-Director of the DC CFAR Social and Behavioral Sciences Core. Please join us as we learn what sparked her interest in HIV research and the mentors, obstacles, and resources that helped direct and shape her path to success.

Click here to register.

The DC Cohort team is pleased to share their Fall/Winter 2022 DC Cohort newsletter. In this edition, they highlight the research of DC Cohort Research Scientist, Morgan Byrne, who researched newly diagnosed sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV viral load by ZIP code, and DC Cohort Project Director, Dr. Anne Monroe, who examined the risk of severe COVID-19 among PWH and examined the pandemic's impact on HIV care. In addition, they outlined planned initiatives for the next five years and provided information on their COVID-19, PositiveLinks, and Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) sub-studies.

To read the Fall/Winter 2022 edition of the DC Cohort newsletter, click here, and to learn more about the DC Cohort Longitudinal HIV Study, click here.