National HIV Testing Day is June 27th

On June 27th each year, we observe National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), a day to emphasize and encourage HIV testing. This year, we observe NHTD as COVID-19 and HIV epidemics continue to affect our communities, the nation, public health departments, and healthcare facilities.

The NHTD theme for 2022 is “HIV Testing is Self-care.” The World Health Organization defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families, and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.” The topic of self-care has been particularly prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic as the need for individual and community actions to protect and promote physical and mental health have been so critical. HIV testing is an act of self-care, and knowledge of status is the gateway to engaging in prevention or treatment services that enable individuals, regardless of their status, to live a long and healthy life. Read more about NHTD.

News from the CFAR

CFAR Publication Grant supports CFAR collaborators' article about patient-provider communication among women living with HIV

The Duke CFAR is excited to award a publication grant to support the publication of an article written by CFAR collaborators, Drs. Schenita Randolph, Tiarney Ritchwood, and Michael Relf. Their article, "Adaptive Leadership in Clinical Encounters with Women Living with HIV" will be published in BMC Women's Health, and describes the benefit of adaptive leadership behaviors to improve patient-provider interactions during clinical encounters to support women living with HIV.

Keep an eye out for the article, and for future calls for applications for publication grants from the Duke CFAR!

CFAR investigators' article in special JAIDS issue on implementation science

A special issue of JAIDS, Harnessing Implementation Science to Inform Strategies for Ending the HIV Epidemic in the United States, was organized by the HIV Implementation Science Coordination Initiative (ISCI). ISCI is a coordinating and technical support center for planning projects funded by the national Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) Initiative.

The supplement includes an article by Dr. Amy Corneli and others at the Duke CFAR, as well as collaborators in Charlotte, Identification of Determinants and Implementation Strategies to Increase PrEP Uptake Among Black Same Gender–Loving Men in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina: The PrEP-MECK Study. The article discusses the creation of PrEP-MECK—an investigator partnership among a community-based organization representative, a PrEP provider, and researchers—and the conduct of iterative preparation research to identify determinants of PrEP uptake among Black same gender-loving men, and implementation strategies to address the identified determinants.

The team conducted focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and assessments to identify barriers including perceived cost of PrEP, lack of awareness, clinic scheduling barriers, and provider mistrust. The team identifies both client-level and clinic-level implementation strategies to facilitate uptake of PrEP, focusing on consumer engagement and strengthening clinic infrastructure to improve PrEP access.

The Third Coast CFAR Twitter account is showcasing the 27 implementation science articles in the special issue on their account this month - give them a follow (and give us a follow if you haven't already, too!)

To highlight the contents of the JAIDS supplement, ISCI will be hosting a satellite symposium at the 2022 International AIDS Conference in Montreal titled, “Leveraging Implementation Science to End the HIV Epidemic in the United States: Highlighted Findings from a JAIDS Special Issue.” Following opening remarks from Dr. Maureen Goodenow, authors of select studies in the special issue will present their findings. Other scholars will review the challenges, evidence gaps, and future directions in the field of implementation research.  

Read the article in the JAIDS special issue.

Tonight! Webinar from the NC Transgender People of Color Community Collaboration Committee

Wednesday, June 22, 2022 | 7-8:30pm ET

Register for the webinar.

Registration and Call for Abstracts open: 39th Annual Symposium on Nonhuman Primate Models for AIDS

September 13-16, 2022 | Portland, OR

Abstract deadline: July 1, 2022

The annual Symposium on Nonhuman Primate Models for AIDS is the premier scientific forum for the exchange of information, including new research findings and scientific perspectives, among HIV/AIDS investigators whose research includes studies in nonhuman primates (NHPs).

This meeting is the only one of its kind in the world. Participants can expect to learn the latest research findings in NHP models of AIDS and engage in discussions about the study of natural and experimental immunodeficiency virus infections in NHPs, emerging technologies to accelerate translation of NHP studies into the clinic and the development of novel therapeutics, prophylactic vaccines for HIV and curative approaches.

The five session topics and session chairs are:

1. Genomics, Steve Bosinger, Emory NPRC at Emory University
2. COVID and Other Infectious Diseases, Robert Seder, NIH Vaccine Research Center
3. Progress Toward HIV Cure, Katharine Bar, University of Pennsylvania
4. Vaccines, Immunology, and Prevention, Michael Betts, University of Pennsylvania
5. SIV Pathogenesis and Co-infections, Michaela Muller-Trutwin, Institut Pasteur

Travel Awards

Early stage investigators (ESI) are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting because it provides a forum to interact with established investigators, network and present work. The 39th Annual Symposium organizers will provide up to 20 ESI Travel Awards for ESI presenters. The award will include the cost of registration and up to $1,500 to support accommodation and airfare. To help promote diversity in our field, at least four of these awards will go to women and underrepresented minorities, as defined by NIH document NOT OD-15-053.

As part of this award, the ESI travel award recipients will attend the 6th HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) Translational HIV Vaccine Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Conference, September 12-13, bringing together ESI scientists who focus on translational, clinical and preclinical HIV vaccine research in NHPs with established investigators to provide key professional development and grantsmanship information, advice and skills, and networking opportunities in a friendly setting.

ESIs who submit an abstract for the NHP AIDS meeting can also apply for an HVTN ESI Registration and Travel Award, which will also provide financial support toward attending both meetings. More information about and registration for the HVTN ESI conference is available here.

Abstracts are due July 1, 2022.

Submit an abstract and register for the symposium.

SBS Core May Rocket Talk discussed Health Equity Guiding Principles and Stigmatizing Language

The SBS Core thanks everyone who joined them last month for their May Rocket Talk. Dr. Susan Laird, a member of CDC’s Health Equity Guiding Principles group, presented Health Equity Guiding Principles – Getting Started and Making it Stick, in which she shared the reasons behind the formation of CDC's Health Equity Guiding Principles for Inclusive Communication and the importance of treating health equity as a public health crisis. She shared suggestions about how best to incorporate these principles into communications, such as using person-first language, working with community members to help develop and validate concepts and content, and adapting as culture and appropriate language changes over time.

Dr. Laird’s presentation was followed by a discussion with two community members, Mr. TerL Gleason and Ms. Alicia Diggs, both of whom are living with HIV and are working within their community to change the way people talk about HIV and those who are living with it. They spoke of their experiences with stigmatizing language, especially at the time of their diagnoses, and how that impacted their ability and willingness to engage in conversations about their health with others. Together, they called on everyone to reconsider the language they use when talking to and about people living with HIV, encouraging us to call out the stigmatizing language while calling in those who may use it without understanding why there are better options available. Finally, they spoke to the need for clinical staff to learn about when and how to incorporate "community language" alongside clinical language in order to make communications more accessible and person-centered.

Watch the Rocket Talk on YouTube!

Proceedings of the Ending the HIV Epidemic National Meeting Now Available

On April 14-15, 2021, more than 300 academic investigators, government scientists, local health department officials, and community members from throughout the U.S. participated in the first annual National Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Meeting hosted by NIH and the DC Center for AIDS Research (DC CFAR). Proceedings of the Ending the HIV Epidemic National Meeting are now available.

The meeting proceedings summarize and highlight key research presented at the first National EHE Meeting including keynote and plenary talks from select leaders of the national EHE initiative, panel presentations and discussions. Videos of the presentations and the virtual poster session can be found on the ISC3I website.

The 2nd National Meeting for Research and Community Collaboration towards “Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US” hosted by UAB CFAR in Birmingham, AL will be held on September 15, 2022. The workshop-style format is anticipated to impart local knowledge derived from the funded projects aligned with the key pillars of protect, diagnose, respond, and treat. This hybrid, one-day workshop will promote the sharing of best practices and generalizable findings among the EHE project teams and offer opportunities for networking and exploring collaborations. Registration is now open for virtual and in-person attendance.

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