Welcome to the November issue of the Midwest D-CFAR newsletter! This month, we are excited to share investigator highlights, upcoming events, and professional development opportunities for our community.

Looking for new collaborators? We have developed an interactive dashboard to assist you in identifying Midwest D-CFAR investigators with specific research expertise. Use filters to find people in the St. Louis area who specialize in anything from cardiovascular health, to implementation science, to biostatistics (and more!). Explore this new feature on our website.

The Emory CFAR recently launched the HIV Research Document Library, a free, publicly accessible database of more than 300 documents from a range of funded study designs. There, investigators and research administrators can find examples of successful study protocols, detailed procedures successfully implemented by seasoned investigators, and other documentation to support the development of their own study design.

Scientists, researchers, and advocates from around the world (including many from the CFAR network) joined together on September 16 for a livestream event to reflect on what has been achieved through decades of federal investments in HIV/AIDS research and what we stand to lose if US funding is cut. Recordings are now available to watch online.

Time is running out to apply for the Midwest D-CFAR 2025-2026 pilot funding cycle! December 10 is the submission deadline to be considered for a Midwest D-CFAR Investigator Pilot Award or Partner Pilot Award! Awardees will receive up to $20,000 for innovative proposals that have the potential for extramural funding upon completion of the pilot study. 

SPOTLIGHT: Aditi Ramakrishnan

Get to know Aditi Ramakrishnan, MD, MSc, an inspiring early-stage investigator at WashU devoted to improving HIV prevention and treatment services. She shares her career journey, ongoing projects, and experiences at IDWeek 2025 in our November spotlight.

Thomas Odeny receives JIT award

The Midwest D-CFAR Just in Time (JIT) Enhancement Funds provide supplemental grant support to researchers who have received ICTS JIT core usage funding. Thomas Odeny, MD, PhD, received one of these awards this month to implement his project, “Epidemiology of Cancer of Kaposi Sarcoma-associated Herpesvirus at JOOTRH.” This is a joint program between the Midwest D-CFAR and the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS).

Midwest D-CFAR co-director on team awarded the 2025 WashU OVCR Seed Grant for Interdisciplinary Research 

Juliet Iwelunmor (Midwest D-CFAR co-director), Proscovia Nabunya (International Center for Child Health and Development director), and Portia Nartey (WashU doctoral student) were chosen to receive a seed grant from the WashU Office of the Vice Chancellor of Research (OVCR) to explore the prevalence and predictors of sexual risk behaviors in Ghanaian adolescent girls. 

(all events listed in central time)

From Global Lessons to Local Action: Reimagining the HIV Response Through Community Partnership and Systems Innovation (a LIGHT Institute event)
12-1pm | Hybrid (St. Louis)

Statistics drop-in office hours with Andrew Atkinson
11am-1pm | Virtual (Zoom)

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

Presentations:
Heterogeneity of HIV Associated Neurocognitive Impairment in 2025 by Beau Ances, MD, PhD, MSc

Presentation TBD by Beryne Odeny, MD, PhD, MPH

See full listing of events on midwestdcfar.org

Don’t forget! Time is running out to apply for the Midwest D-CFAR 2025-2026 pilot funding cycle!
December 10 is the deadline to apply for a Midwest D-CFAR Investigator Pilot Award or Partner Pilot Award! Awardees will receive up to $20,000 for innovative proposals that have the potential for extramural funding upon completion of the pilot study. D-CFAR members are eligible to apply.

Contribute your ideas to the Phoenix Open Call
INSPIRE and SESH Global have partnered on an open call to collect actionable solutions that support organizations in maintaining HIV services despite systemic and operational challenges. Submit your thoughts on how HIV services can be sustained in resource-constrained settings for the chance to receive a $10,000 cash prize and a trip to an HIV conference in Lagos, Nigeria. The deadline for submissions is November 30 and full details are available on the INSPIRE website.

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.

Call for manuscripts: Critical Public Health Journal collection on gaps in HIV prevention/care
A new collection of articles aims to showcase interventions and programs developed by underrepresented investigators to confront the challenges of HIV prevention and care among underserved populations. Researchers are invited to submit original articles, short reports, reviews, case studies, short communications, and/or commentary articles for consideration by November 30.

International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) | December 3-8 | Accra, Ghana

Regional Conference on Advancing Public Health Through Implementation Science | December 6-7 | Doha, Qatar

Conference on the Science of D&I | December 14-17 | National Harbor, Maryland, USA

Taking Stock of HIV Implementation Research: EHE Findings and CHESHIRE Network Services | December 18 | Hybrid

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

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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