On September 29-30 the CFAR Adelante Program hosted a two-day in-person Mid-Cycle/Close-out Retreat & Skills Building Workshop. This program is a collaboration between the Emory CFAR and DC CFAR funded by NIH/NIMHD and supports early career investigators to conduct HIV research in Hispanic and/or Latina/x/o communities.

The Mid-Cycle Retreat and Close-out Workshop on the 29th featured opening remarks from DC CFAR Director Dr. Alan Greenberg, an overview of CFAR Adelante Program & Introduction of the Staff and Team: Cohorts III & IV featuring SBS Core Co-Director Dr. Maria Cecilia Zea, a CFAR Adelante Mentor Presentation by Dr. Carlos Rodríguez-Díaz, and a presentation entitled "Building Lasting Partnerships: Strategies and Practices for Community-Academic Research Collaborations" from Drs. Nina Yamanis and Suyanna Linhales Barker (La Clinica del Pueblo). CFAR Administrative Director Ms. Brandi Robinson and SBS Core Research Manager and CFAR Adelante Pre-Award Program Coordinator, Ms. Allison O'Rourke served as session chairs. During the meeting, Cohort III and IV Adelante Teams provided presentations and updates on their projects including award recipient Dr. Leah Varga who presented on her Adelante project, "Latinos Living with HIV in DC: Exploring experiences in engagement and retention in care".

The Business of Science Skills building Workshop on the 30th provided an opportunity for Adelante Scholars to receive mentorship and training around conducting the Business of Science. The workshop featured opening remarks from Dr. Zea and presentations from multiple CFAR Investigators and Community Partners including Drs. Amanda Castel, Deanna Kerrigan, Carlos Rodríguez-Díaz, Marta Catalfamo, DeMarc Hickson, and Angela Suarez, moderated by Dr. Zea and Ms. O'Rourke.

The Cohort V CFAR Adelante Application Cycle is currently open and accepting concept proposals (due November 10, 2022). For more information on this funding opportunity, click here.

Click here to learn more about the CFAR Adelante Program.

Whitman-Walker has received an award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) award to develop a "Community-Based Facility to Support Next Generation Biomedical HIV Research". This state-of-the-art HIV research space "will be a part of the new Max Robinson Center, Whitman-Walker’s future flagship building, which will be located on the St. Elizabeths East Campus redevelopment project in DC’s Ward 8." Once constructed, this research facility will be jointly overseen by Whitman-Walker and the George Washington University, with the longer term goal of making these HIV research facilities available for collaborative use by members of the DC CFAR. Senior Director of Research at Whitman-Walker Institute and DC CFAR Executive Committee Member Dr. Jonathon Rendina (PI) shared that “this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dramatically expand our capacity to conduct cutting-edge HIV research in a space that centers community and fosters cross-institutional collaboration”.

Click here for more information.

Please join the DC CFAR Basic Sciences Core for another installment of the Seminar Series on Friday, October 28 from 12:00 - 1:00 pm ET. This virtual event will feature a presentation from Dr. Xiong Jiang (GU) on his recent publication titled "Cingulate transcranial direct current stimulation in adults with HIV."

Click here to register.

Please join us for the DC CFAR Developmental Core Virtual Seminar Benchside to Community on "HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorders: A Brain Imaging Guided Treatment" on Friday, October 21, from 12:30-1:30 PM.

The goal of this seminar is to:

The seminar will include a presentation by Dr. Xiong Jiang, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University, followed by a Q&A and discussion with Mr. Moisés Agosto-Rosario, Director of Treatment at NMAC and DC CFAR Community Co-Lead of the Aging and Comorbidities SIG, and Ms. Samia Abdallah, an undergraduate student and DC CFAR CDEIPI Scholar at George Washington University.

Click here to register.