Dear friends,

In honor of World AIDS Day, which recently passed, we wanted to reflect on and call attention to the work we are doing together, the progress that has been made, and the effort that each of you puts in every day. This was an unusual World AIDS Day. It is the first in many decades in which the U.S. government has prohibited federal agencies from marking it. That is both shocking and a reflection of where we are in the global HIV response – and the damage that has been done to it (recently captured in this documentary produced by the New Yorker). Nearly every day we see signs of pressure, erosion, and attacks on the progress that has been built over the last 30 years. 

In the early years of the epidemic, when resources were scarce and programs like Ryan White were only beginning, many people ran toward the problem while others stepped back. HIV work has always attracted people who move toward urgency and toward communities in crisis (described recently by Jirair Ratevosian), and I am proud that this spirit continues.

I want to express my gratitude for all that you do. Over the past year, we have held successful Grand Rounds, numerous Studio events, a string of community-engaged events, and more connections to the national and global response than ever. We launched new modeling efforts here in Missouri, with early signals that HIV incidence may be rising, and we opened our clinic-based database to support many analyses now underway. We have also continued to help advance, against headwinds, including work in global contexts as well. None of this happens without your support. 

We also have important work ahead. This spring we will host Show me the Response Day, run our Bootcamp, and carry forward several new initiatives that will strengthen the response even further. I am deeply grateful for you all and the energy you bring each day.

Thank you again and happy holidays,

Elvin Geng, MD, MPH
Director, Midwest D-CFAR

Our Scientific Working Group (SWG) is inviting applications for Community Champions to support our efforts to end the HIV epidemic in Missouri. A Community Champion is someone with lived experience with HIV who is connected to a community-based organization and not affiliated with an academic institution or a health department.

Anyone living in Missouri who is passionate about community engagement, advocacy, and advancing community-centered research is encouraged to apply.

The 18th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health was held this week in Washington DC and several members of the Midwest D-CFAR were there leading workshops, facilitating discussion forums, and presenting novel research. A list of our presentations is available on our website.

Members and staff of the Midwest D-CFAR braved snowy St. Louis streets on the morning of December 1, World AIDS Day, alongside community supporters, health leaders, local politicians, and advocates. Despite the US government’s decision not to acknowledge the awareness day for the first time since 1988, this group marched in honor of those lost to HIV/AIDS and to advocate for the needs of those currently living with and affected by the virus. Read Fox 2’s coverage of the march.

In a recent blog post on the IDSA Science Speaks blog, Dima Dandachi, MD, co-director of the Midwest D-CFAR’s SWG, points out that rural communities are too often left out of HIV research opportunities, creating problems for the field. “When rural communities are left without the resources and support to participate in clinical trials our understanding of HIV is skewed.”

The full post is available on our website.

Joseph Cherabie, MD, medical director of the WashU PrEP Clinic in St. Louis and Julia C. Rosebush, DO, medical director of the Care2Prevent Pediatric/Adolescent HIV Program in Chicago co-wrote a commentary in Positively Aware this month arguing for the importance of sustaining federal funding for PrEP and other HIV prevention interventions in the US. Check it out here.

SPOTLIGHT: Octavio Mesner

This month, we are spotlighting Octavio Mesner, PhD, Research Assistant Professor at WashU. Dr. Mesner was a recipient of one of the inaugural Midwest D-CFAR Investigator Pilot Awards. In this interview, he provided an update on his project, which aims to explain the drivers of HIV incidence specifically within Black and Latino sexual-minority men. Read it on our website.

Bill Effah delivers Talking Public Health seminar

WashU’s Talking Public Health seminar series recently featured Midwest D-CFAR investigator William Effah, MD, MPH, MBA, who gave a talk titled: Building for Impact: Directions for Public Health Education and Practice. Watch it online.

(all events listed in central time)

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

Presentations:

Emotional Reflexivity in Global Health, by Jean Hunleth, PhD

The Clear Path Project, by Ginger McKay, PhD and Emmanuel Tetteh, MD

SWG Research Community Collaborative Monthly Meeting
12-1pm | Virtual (Zoom)

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

Presentations:

Luck favors the prepared mind - a lesson learned from a multifunctional HIV-1 enzyme, by Sebla Kutluay, PhD

TBD, by Octavio Mesner, PhD

See full listing of events on midwestdcfar.org

Columbia University seeks post-docs
The T32 Training Program on HIV and Substance Use in the Criminal Justice System at Columbia University is now accepting applications for postdoctoral fellowship positions. This multidisciplinary training program provides rigorous research training in the prevention, care, and treatment of HIV and substance use. Learn more and apply.

Visiting Scholars in HIV Implementation Science Program
Applications are being accepted to the Visiting Scholars in HIV Implementation Science Program at Northwestern University. The primary goal of this program is to strengthen academic-community partnerships capable of conducting impactful implementation research, while leveraging research findings to advance efforts toward ending the HIV epidemic. Full details are available here, and submissions are due on January 4, 2026.

NYC CFAR Symposium | February 9, 2026 | New York City, New York, USA
Abstracts are currently being accepted. Deadline: January 15.

Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) | February 22-25, 2026 | Denver, Colorado, USA 

AIDSWatch | March 16-18, 2026 | Washington, DC, USA

SYNC 2026 | March 18-20, 2026 | Washington, DC, USA

Consortium of Universities in Global Health Annual Conference | April 9-12 | Washington, DC, USA

International Workshop on Women & HIV | April 10-11 | Prague, Czech Republic (hybrid)
Abstracts are currently being accepted. Deadline: January 16.

HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Health Science of Implementation Conference (VISTA) | June 1-3 | Cape Town, South Africa
Abstracts are currently being accepted. Deadline: March 6.

AIDS 2026 | July 26-31 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (hybrid)
Abstracts are currently being accepted. Deadline: January 22.

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

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