Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Welcome to the August edition of the Midwest D-CFAR newsletter. We are glad to count you among our partners in the fight to end HIV!

My name is Kneeshe Parkinson, and I have worked in the field of HIV care, treatment, and prevention for over two decades. I am an author, mentor, motivational speaker, and activist, and I am also one of the newest members of the new Midwest D-CFAR team, serving as coordinator for the Dissemination and Implementation Science Core and the Scientific Working Group.

Last month, I had the opportunity to attend the 25th International AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany, alongside some of my D-CFAR colleagues and thousands of other researchers, implementers, politicians, activists, and experts in the fields of HIV and public health. This year’s conference theme was “putting people first,” and I was invited to speak at a pre-conference session, titled: Securing progress and extending impact: Implementation science and the HIV response, organized by Midwest D-CFAR Director Elvin Geng. I presented on the importance of remembering that everyone affected by HIV is a whole person living a full life, not just a diagnosis, and not just a data point.

My time at the conference inspired me to keep advancing and expanding programs that tackle health disparities and reinforced my commitment to proactively addressing the unique health challenges faced by Black women and other key populations.

Now that I am back home, I am happily turning my focus to the D-CFAR and our shared priorities. We are building momentum in the Midwest and around the world to improve the lives of all people living with and affected by HIV, and we are dedicated to making sure that comprehensive health services will be readily available and activated in communities in Missouri and beyond.

Thank you for joining us in these efforts!

Sincerely,  


Kneeshe Parkinson
Program Coordinator
Midwest D-CFAR D&I Science Core and
Scientific Working Group

P.S. If you want to continue receiving updates on the Midwest D-CFAR in your inbox, please subscribe to our mailing list.

We are proud to announce that the Midwest D-CFAR now has a website! Visit midwestdcfar.org (and invite your friends!) to learn about our new Center, upcoming events and training opportunities, and how you can get involved with the HIV response in Missouri and beyond. We invite you to apply to become a member, which will grant you access to our core services and make you eligible for the exciting pilot funding opportunities that we will be releasing in the next few weeks!

The Midwest D-CFAR's first ever HIV Works in Progress (HIP) seminar was held on July 31, featuring a presentation by Dr. Dima Dandachi, associate professor at the University of Missouri. Dr. Dandachi presented her study, "ACCELERATE: A Multisite Type II Implementation – Effectiveness Hybrid Mixed Methods Study of a Simplified Accelerated ART Initiation Protocol for People with HIV Who Are Out of Care." Read our recap of the session.

The burden of HIV is inequitably distributed across historically oppressed communities in the US. Although these communities are most impacted by the HIV epidemic, they are also the most underrepresented in the current field of HIV research. The NIAID-STAR program, led by D-CFAR co-director Juliet Iwelunmor, was created to respond to this gap. Read about the 2024 cohort. Applications are being accepted now for the 2025 cohort – visit the NIAID-STAR website for details.

The 2024 International AIDS Conference was held in Munich, Germany, in July, and representatives from the Midwest D-CFAR were there as facilitators, attendees, and presenters. See some photos and highlights from the event.

(all events listed in central time)

Brown School Convocation
12-1pm | Hybrid (St. Louis)

The 2024 Brown School Distinguished Faculty Award will be presented to Fred Ssewamala (director of the Midwest D-CFAR's Developmental Core).

HIV Works in Progress (HIP) Seminar: Grant Writing and PrEP Strategies
2-3:15pm | Virtual (Zoom)

Presenters: Juliet Iwelunmor, WashU Professor of Medicine; and Aditi Ramakrishnan, WashU Assistant Professor of Medicine

Midwest D-CFAR Launch Event
12-4pm | In-person (St. Louis)

HIV Works in Progress (HIP) Seminar: Adolescent HIV Treatment Adherence
2-3:15pm | Virtual (Zoom)

Presenter: Samuel Kizito, WashU Research Assistant Professor

Mentoring the Mentors Workshop for HIV Researchers
In-person (San Francisco)

The two-day workshop, hosted by the UCSF CFAR, is an intensive and interactive meeting designed to provide faculty in HIV research with the tools for more effective mentoring, especially of mentees of diversity. Learn more on the UCSF website and register online by August 30 (or by August 21 if you would like to be considered for a travel scholarship).

Email admin@midwestdcfar.org invitations to any of these events!

This month, we are thrilled to feature Dr. Rachel Presti, co-director of the Midwest D-CFAR’s Clinical Science Core, and a leading figure in infectious diseases and translational research at WashU. In our spotlight interview, Dr. Presti reflects on her experience at the 2024 AIDS Conference, where she presented research on gene therapy to excise HIV DNA from cells. She also shares her enthusiasm for the new Center, highlighting how the it is already fostering collaboration among researchers across disciplines to advance HIV research in St. Louis and beyond. Read the full interview on our website.