Notable Quote

It would be an extraordinary failure of global will and conscience if financial constraints and false dichotomies truncated our ability to begin to end AIDS just when the science is showing that this goal is achievable.

— Diane Havlir and Chris Beyrer, “The Beginning of the End of AIDS?” The New England Journal of Medicine, August 23, 2012; 367:685–687

The Midwest D-CFAR will provide pilot funding of up to $20,000 for innovative HIV proposals that have the potential for extramural funding upon completion of the study. Early-stage investigators are encouraged to apply!

Principal Investigators (PIs) must be early-stage investigators or established investigators transitioning to HIV research. PIs must also be affiliated with WashU, SLU, or HSSU.

The NIH Office of AIDS Research has released the FY 2026–2030 NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research, which sets NIH's HIV research priorities for the next five years. We outlined how the plan is organized, major shifts in priorities, and what this means for researchers and community partners. Read more.

Wendy Armstrong, MD, FIDSA recently delivered the annual J. Russell Little, MD Lectureship at WashU. Her lecture revolved around a central question: how can we make effective HIV care work for people whose needs are poorly served by traditional health services? Read our reflection.

Kneeshe Parkinson, Program Coordinator for the Midwest D-CFAR Scientific Working Group, attended Beyond the Ribbon, a Breast Cancer Awareness event hosted by the Community Health Commission of Missouri. The event brought together breast cancer survivors, community-based organizations, advocates, and those committed to advancing awareness, education, and support for people affected by breast cancer. Read more.

Three members of the Midwest D-CFAR have been recognized by the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. These awards celebrate faculty and staff whose dedication and service strengthen the department and the broader WashU Medicine community. Read more.

“One of the biggest things I learned during this experience was how important it is to make health information easy to understand and accessible.” Trinity Harris reflects on her time in the HSSU-STLDOH-STAR-Midwest D-CFAR internship and what she learned about health communication, HIV prevention, and program development. Read more.

Curious about upcoming Midwest D-CFAR events? Check out the new interactive events calendar on our website! Learn more.

Petersen KJ, Kim S, Canfield P, Roman J, Cooley SA, Bhuma M, Anderson A, Nelson B, Reid P, Westerhaus E, …Ances BM. The GrimAge clock corresponds to brain ageing and social determinants of health in people with HIV. EBioMedicine. 2026 Oct;132:106492. doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2026.106492. PMID: 42785234.

Mutumba M, …, Nabunya P, Matovu F, Ssewamala FM. HIV disclosure in Ugandan schools: a qualitative study of how educators navigate the institutional ecology of information, HIV stigma, and care. Soc Sci Med. 2026 Oct;407:119664. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2026.119664. PMID: 42603465.

Appiah PK, …Kyei GB. HAND in Africa: prevalence, diagnostic challenges and the search for objective markers. J Neurovirol. 2026 Oct 2;32(6):44. doi:10.1007/s13365-026-01336-4. PMID: 42832070.

Aifah A, Tetteh EK, …Hirschhorn LR. Cross-cutting implementation strategies to integrate hypertension care into HIV care in Africa: results from six country studies in the HLB-SIMPLe Alliance. J Int AIDS Soc. 2026 Oct;29(Suppl 5):e70162. doi:10.1002/jia2.70162. PMID: 42850965.

You are invited to join an exciting networking and ideation workshop, hosted by MycoTranscend in partnership with the Midwest D-CFAR. The session is designed to connect researchers from across WashU who are poised to form new partnerships and collaborations that can uniquely address critical gaps in understanding related to mycobacterial infections in people living with HIV (PLWH). We will provide a forum for individuals with complementary expertise and perspectives to discuss what new research and technologies are needed in the field.

Information will also be provided regarding new resources being launched by MycoTranscend that will support endeavors that emerge from this workshop, including follow-up seed funding designed to support interdisciplinary collaborations and opportunities for proposal development.

When: January 15, 2027 from 9:00am - 12:00pm

Where: Cortex: 4240 Duncan, Midtown Room (2nd floor)

There is a late-breaking abstract opportunity for CROI 2027, with submissions open December 1 through January 19.

Please email the Admin Core if you are planning to submit an abstract.

Registration is open for the annual Mentoring the Mentors Workshop for HIV Researchers, to be held January 19-20 in San Francisco!

The two-day workshop is an intensive and interactive meeting designed to provide faculty engaged in HIV research with tools for more effective mentoring.

The travel scholarship deadline is November 2. Register by November 6.

African Workshop on Women & HIV 2027 | February 25-26 | Lusaka, Zambia

Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) | March 21-24 | San Diego, CA

IAS 2027 | July 12-15 | Geneva, Switzerland and virtual

Have news, events, or opportunities to share? Email admin@midwestdcfar.org to include it in a future issue of HIV HAPPENINGS!

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