The Community Breakfast Clubs are virtual webinars coordinated by the CROI Community Liaisons, the European AIDS Treatment Group, AVAC, and their global collaborators. They feature researchers and advocates discussing some of the most consequential science being presented at CROI.
This year, they will take place on March 10, 11 and 12 from 7AM to 8AM PST.
Register Here
March 11: The End of AIDS- Near and Far? (40 Years of HIV), register here
March 12: Still Here! Living with HIV Long-term (treatment, aging, and co-morbidities), register here
Previous Sessions
Breaking New Ground: The latest advances in HIV cure March 10, 2025
AVAC, the CROI Community Liaison Subcommittee and European AIDS Treatment Group hosted the first virtual Community Breakfast Meeting (CBMs) for the 2025 CROI meeting. Speaker details and recording below:
Moderator: Michael Louell, University of Washington-Seattle, Fred Hutch Center for AIDS research
Speakers
Dr. Katie Bar, University of Pennsylvania, CROI Scientific Program Committee
Dr. Marina Caskey, Rockerfeller University
Dr. Steven Deeks, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)
Ms. Doreen Mora Moracha, HIV Cure Advocate- Kenya, CROI Community Educator Scholar
Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2025
This week, the 32nd annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) kicks off, running March 9–12 in San Francisco, CA. CROI opens under drastically altered circumstances, as the new US Administration’s assault on global health and research devastates the HIV response. Foreign aid programs are frozen, US agencies championing science and global health are being dismantled, and US leadership around the world is receding at a critical moment.
Despite these challenges, scientists and advocates will come together—though many from pivotal US health agencies will be missing—to confront the impact and implications of these changes and join in solidarity to strategize a future for public health, help advance research and ensure that hard-won progress in HIV is not lost.
Whether attending in person or not, we share ways to follow along and join in the discussion and debate.
New Issue of PxWire
This issue released just ahead of CROI dives into the devastating impact of the new US administration on HIV prevention—from crippling existing PrEP delivery to threatening the rollout of LEN for PrEP and paralyzing R&D.
In the midst of it all, we’re tracking several promising PrEP developments including new data on the investigational monthly oral PrEP pill, MK-8527; data from lenacapavir for PrEP’s PURPOSE 1 study on preferences for injectable versus oral PrEP; the dapvirine vaginal ring (DVR) in pregnancy; doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis (DoxyPEP) to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs); the latest in HIV cure and control; and more.
Be part of the conversation by following AVAC on BlueSky at @hivpxresearch.bsky.social, and be sure to sign up and follow our partner, Aidsmap, which we’re delighted to know is back in action and reporting from the conference.
Community Breakfast Clubs
Join the CROI Community Liaisons, AVAC, the European AIDS Treatment Group, and partners for daily Community Breakfast Clubs. These live webinars feature researchers and advocates exploring some of the most consequential science and discussions from CROI. They are open to all; CROI registration not required.
Click here to determine the time in your location.
Sessions of Interest
Monday, March 10
8:30 – 09:30am PT: Plenary 1, The Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic: Where Are We Now? Chris Beyrer, Duke Global Health Institute, Durham, NC, USA
10:30am PT: Oral Abstract Session 3, Lenacapavir Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Efficacy in Adolescents and Adults in PURPOSE 1
1:30 – 2:30pm PT: Themed Discussion, Meeting the Treatment and Prevention Needs of Transgender Women
4:00 – 5:30pm PT: Symposium 3, Closing the Gaps in the HIV Response
6:00 – 7:00pm PT: Save Our Sciences Rally to Protect HIV Research!
Tuesday, March 11
10:00 – 11:00am PT: Oral Abstract 7, Antivirals for HIV, MPXV, and SARS-CoV-2: New Drug Strategies and Resistance; and Oral Abstract 8, New Frontiers in STI Prevention
4:00 – 5:30pm PT: Interactive Symposium 7, Long-Acting Preexposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention
4:00 – 5:30pm PT: Interactive Symposium 10, Putting People at the Center of Prevention: New Models of Delivery
Looking forward to seeing you at the daily Breakfast Club sessions and to working together to ensure science and open discussion and debate continue.
Avac Event
African Workshop on HIV & Women 2025
The inaugural edition of the African Workshop on HIV & Women will take place in hybrid format on 27 – 28 February 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya.
The time zone that will be used for this meeting is East Africa Time (EAT). If you need to convert the times to your timezone, this website might be of interest to you: www.WorldTimeBuddy.com.
This exciting new initiative is a regional workshop paired to the annual “International Workshop on HIV & Women”. It is an outstanding opportunity for both local and international healthcare providers, researchers, government, industry, and community representatives to discuss and further increase their knowledge on the issues related to HIV and women living in Africa.
The primary purpose of this workshop is to support changes that will provide a better quality of life for women living with HIV and reduce HIV transmissions in the region.
The format of the workshop enables attendees to learn from renowned HIV experts, discuss challenges, gaps, and opportunities for further learning and research. The debates and roundtables are an especially important vehicle to discuss issues and challenge dogma.
The workshop also provides a forum for early-career investigators to present their research and to personally meet with experts they view as mentors and inspiration for their work.
The meeting organizers hope this workshop will catalyze forming a community, where attendees continue to participate yearly and form valuable relationships and partnerships that lead to collaborative projects and positive changes.
Avac Event
PIBA Presents Reimagining the HIV Prevention Blueprint for Black Communities in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee
PrEP in Black America (PIBA) with regional Partners will host a Virtual Town Hall titled, Reimagining the HIV Prevention Blueprint for Black Communities in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
This is designed to offer a virtual platform for leaders in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas to share the narrative of PrEP within Black communities. The town hall will concentrate on three main objectives: 1. Motivating the Black public health workforce to spearhead the public health response. 2. Educating the broader Black community about the science and efficacy of PrEP. 3. Advocating for a federally funded national PrEP program.
Local Partners Include:
Community Health-PIER (MS)
FABRIC, Incorporated (MS)
Mississippi AIDS Education and Training Center (MS)
WeCare TN
Ryan White Part A Program Memphis (TN)
PIBA requests that only residents of Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas (US) attend this virtual town hall.
Avac Event
HIVR4P 2024
The 5th HIV Research for Prevention (R4P) conferenceis being held in Lima, Peru from 6 to 10 October. Held every two years, HIVR4P is the only global conference to focused exclusively on biomedical HIV prevention, including AIDS vaccines, microbicides, PrEP, treatment as prevention and other approaches.
See below for conference highlights, recaps and announcements.
This is a UNGA side event at Yale Club of New York City, 50 Vanderbilt Ave, New York, NY 10017
At this year’s UN General Assembly, policymakers, advocates, diplomats, and practitioners will convene a High Level Meeting (HLM) on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). As new global commitments are made by state actors, Management Sciences for Health (MSH) will convene a group of experts to illustrate the importance of supply chains and strong health systems in combating AMR.
Through a panel discussion featuring practitioners, health workers, and advocates, MSH and partners will explore the role of supply chains, laboratory capacity, health facilities and other foundational aspects of health systems in meeting the increasingly complex challenge of AMR.
Topics discussed may include (but are not limited to): the importance of supply chains and regulatory systems in addressing AMR and supplying critical medicines, the critical role of laboratories, microbiology services and diagnostic tools, the importance of adequate water and sanitation in health facilities, and the role of healthcare workers in remaining combating and monitoring AMR.
MSH hopes that this discussion will “make real” the challenges and opportunities presented by this year’s HLM and provide real-world examples of how to address the growing threat of AMR.
Speakers:
Opening remarks: Marian Wentworth, President and CEO, Management Sciences for Health
Keynote introduction: Côte d’Ivoire Minister of Health Pierre Dimba
Scene Setting Remarks: Dr. Mirfin Mpundu, Senior Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Biodefense Advisor, Emerging Threats Division of the Office of Infectious Diseases, Bureau for Global Health, USAID
Panelist: Francis Aboagye-Nyame, Project Director, MTaPS project, Management Sciences for Health
Panelist: Patrick Mubangizi, Africa Director, Fleming Fund, Mott MacDonald
Panelist: Dr. Caline S. Mattar, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of Global Health
Scholars Pathway in Internal Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine
Panelist: Josette Vignon, Madagascar Country Director, WaterAid
Closing Remarks: Dr. Jide Idris, MBBS, MD, MPH, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
Avac Event
Restrategizing Civil Society Engagement for Pandemic and Global Governance
As we are building back from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, current and future generations face multiple grand-scale challenges, including the climate crisis, related disasters, pollution, and biodiversity loss. These challenges also heighten the threat of future pandemics from emerging or re-emerging diseases. On the 14th of August 2024, the WHO has declared the Mpox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), which highlighted the growing concerns.
The recent amendments to the IHR (2005), agreed upon during the 77th World Health Assembly, are pivotal in enhancing global health regulations. These amendments aim to address the shortcomings revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Fundamental changes include a broadened definition of pandemic emergencies, principles of solidarity and equality, and reinforced WHO authority.
We aim to draw lessons from the successful experiences of diverse CSOs in enhancing inclusivity in multilateral discussions and implementation of agreements/treaties on topics such as one health, other health issues, climate, human rights, and more. For example, the processes leading to the Paris Agreement have set important precedents for integrating diverse voices and ensuring meaningful participation in global decision-making. Indigenous groups have also been involved in the inception to implementation processes of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
This side event aims to serve as a consolidation platform for civil society to share and find strategies that redefine civil society roles in global decision-making processes that address health threats such as future pandemics, climate crises, and others.
Objectives
The side event will reassess the strategies utilized to expand the role and involvement of civil society in global governance for health, climate, and other development sectors. The event’s objectives are further detailed in the following:
To explore and develop concrete strategies that enhance participatory, inclusive global governance for health, climate, human rights and other global challenges, starting from the Pandemic Agreement through meaningful civil society engagement, particularly in the face of shrinking civic spaces.
To foster collaborations among CSOs from multiple sectors to advance health and health-related development agendas.
Moderator:
Samantha Rick, Multilateral Engagement and Pandemic Preparedness Advocacy Specialist, AVAC
Speakers:
Eloise Todd, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Pandemic Action Network
Lawrence O. Gostin, Faculty Director O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
Neil Vora, Executive Director of Preventing Pandemics at the Source
Olivia Herlinda, Chief Research and Policy at CISDI
Avac Event
2024 IUSTI World Congress
The International Union Against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) and ASHM are pleased to invite you to the 25th IUSTI World Congress, which will this year incorporate the Australasian Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference.
Taking place 17-20 September 2024 at the International Convention Centre in Gadigal Country, Australia, this conference will provide an opportunity to meet, discuss and learn about the latest research and innovation in sexual and reproductive health. The program will incorporate a range of world leading speakers and presentations, providing an opportunity to expand your professional knowledge through local and international insight.
The STI Prevention Conference is a biennial conference that brings together international leading researchers with government experts, clinical STD care providers, and state and local public health administrators. The 2024 STI Prevention Conference is organized by the American Sexual Health Association, the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Coalition of STD Directors.
Join more than 1,200 conference attendees September 16-19, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia, for four days of scientific updates and cutting-edge sessions on science, program, and policy.
More than 15,000 attendees convened in Munich, Germany and virtually from July 22 – 26 for AIDS 2024, the world’s largest conference on HIV/AIDS. The conference occured on the heels of the PURPOSE 1 PrEP trial announcement, one of the most important research results we’ve seen to date in an HIV prevention study. AVAC tracked discussion, debate and decision making on what’s next and how urgently the field moves to make the full range of PrEP products feasible choices for all people who need and want HIV prevention. We’ll also followed the latest scientific advances, efforts in decolonizing global health, successes in community-led initiatives, and much more.
Read on for resources and ways to navigate AIDS2024.
The Research-to-Rollout Literacy Networking Zone, convened by AVAC and CASPR partners, offered in-person and virtual programming including sessions on PrEP, the Dual Prevention Pill, HIV vaccine and cure research and more!
AVAC provided updates in real time on Twitter at #AIDS2024 and Instagram. See AVAC’s comments and updates by following us at @HIVpxresearch.
Pre-conferences, Satellites, Sessions and Workshops Featuring AVAC and Partners
Saturday, July 20
Pre-conference: Key Populations and HIV Prevention Pre-Conference, 08:00 – 16:00 CEST Hosted by the Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC) and Global KP HIV Prevention Advisory Group in partnership with AVAC, Fierte Afrique, CoalitionPlus, EpiC Project and Palladium, this day-long session will “demand and deliver: securing rights, funding and prevention” will cover rights, funding and prevention to ensure that key populations are not left behind.
Pre-conference: Welcome to the Era of PrEP choice, 08:00 – 16:30 CEST Hosted by the Gates Foundation, Unitaid, USAID, WHO and partners, this session covers the PrEP pipeline, learnings from the early delivery of oral PrEP and what’s needs to happen to ensure expeditious access to the range of PrEP options for all.
Sunday, July 21
Pre-conference: Mobilize for action on sexually transmitted infections, 08:00 – 16:30 CEST Organized by WHO, IAS and International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI), this session will share insights into the global impact of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), featuring new developments in STIs, including the latest WHO guidelines, what we know and don’t know about antimicrobial resistance and the use of DoxyPEP.
Pre-conference: Towards a truly global HIV cure, 09:00 – 16:30 CEST This pre-conference will reflect on current research directions, scientific and structural challenges associated with conducting HIV cure research and the importance of expanding and coordinating efforts across countries and regions.
Monday, July 22
Satellite: New ways for the next wave: Innovative R&D for the future of women’s prevention, 09:30 – 10:30 CEST Organized by CASPR (Coalition to Accelerate & Support Prevention Research) and MATRIX (Microbicide R&D to Advance HIV Prevention Technologies through Responsive Innovation and Excellence), this session will focus on new efforts to identify and develop promising women’s prevention options, strategically engage all stakeholders, decolonize R&D and involve potential users in all their diversities throughout the process.
Satellite: Money, money, money: Building towards a sustainable end state for HIV prevention, 15:00 – 16:30 CEST As we look to 2030 and given stagnating or decreasing donor resources, we now face the question of how to ensure lasting impact with sustained access to PrEP. Hosted by AVAC, PATH, USAID, WHO and partners, this dynamic session will highlight critical HIV prevention financing gaps and showcase innovative financing and delivery solutions being rolled out to advance sustainable preventive services.
Special Session: AIDS 2024 Co-Chairs’ Choice, 10:30 – 12:00 CEST Among exciting new developments, Linda Gail-Bekker will present, Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir or Daily Emtricitabine/Tenofovir Alafenamide for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Women: Interim Analysis Results from the PURPOSE 1 Study.
Satellite: People-centred and sustainable HIV prevention: Towards a new generation of prevention responses in a changing epidemic context, 12:00 – 13:00 CEST Building on latest evidence and mathematical modelling analyses, this session will outline a new generation of people-centred and sustainable prevention, which will build on precise analysis of the epidemic and consider differentiated people-centered packages of services, delivery modalities and outreach. It’s hosted by the Gates Foundation, Global Prevention Coalition, UNAIDS and UNFPA.
Thursday, July 25
Satellite: HIV prevention in the time of choice, 07:00 – 08:00 CEST Organized by the African Women Prevention Accountability Board (AWPCAB) and IPM South Africa, this session will feature an expert panel discussing what is needed to make the current options available for all women and how to balance resources for expanding access to existing methods while simultaneously developing new methods.
