Jessica Salzwedel is a Senior Program Manager of Research Engagement at AVAC, a non-governmental based in New York City. Jessica leads the HIV cure research advocacy work — developing research literacy materials, policy analysis, and developing global networks of advocates contributing to the acceleration of HIV cure research.
She also serves as the community engagement coordinator for Research Enterprise to Advance a Cure for HIV, Immunotherapy for Cure, and Pediatric Adolescent Virus Elimination (REACH, I4C and PAVE respectively), three of ten NIH-funded international collaboratories aimed at developing therapeutic interventions to cure HIV infection. Jessica is an expert on Good Participatory Practice, a framework for integrating stakeholders throughout the research lifecycle. Over the past ten years she has developed a suite of online and in-person trainings to translate the GPP guidelines into action and has supported research sites, sponsors and advocacy organizations develop stakeholder engagement programs.
Before working at AVAC, she was part of the Bioethics team at the Division of AIDS at the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Jessica earned a Master’s degree from New York University in Bioethics and holds an undergraduate degree in Biology from Union College.