HIV researchers, advocates, and service providers celebrate the launch of the Midwest D-CFAR
Enbal Shacham, Ginger McKay, George Kyei, Jacaranda van Rheenen, and Kneeshe Parkinson at the Midwest D-CFAR launch event on September 23, 2024. (PHOTO: Tina McGrath).
The Midwest Developmental Center for AIDS Research launch event took place on September 23rd at the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis, convening over 100 attendees representing various academic institutions, local government agencies, and community organizations. It marked a pivotal moment for the HIV research community in the region, setting the stage for dynamic partnerships and advancements in HIV prevention, treatment, and care.
Elvin Geng, Midwest D-CFAR director, welcomes attendees to the Center’s launch event. (PHOTO: Tina McGrath)
Midwest D-CFAR director Elvin Geng kicked things off on a strong and optimistic note, thanking everyone in attendance and pointing out that “the researcher who finds the cure for HIV could be in this very room” – to raucous applause. The reality of that possibility came into focus over the next few hours, as researchers presented on what they had learned from their past projects and what studies were slated to begin soon.
Presenters described infectious disease and HIV-related research and programs going on in Missouri as well as abroad in places like Uganda, Ghana, and Nigeria. Included in their vast body of work, D-CFAR researchers have investigated mechanisms of HIV persistence and the impact of HIV-associated coinfections on the viral reservoir, evaluated strategies for improving adherence to HIV treatments among adolescents, and explored how one’s neighborhood affects their ability to manage HIV. “We are better suited today to explore how location in which individuals live, work, and play impact health behaviors, exposures, and outcomes,” explained Enbal Shacham, Midwest D-CFAR associate director, highlighting how geospatial technology might be used to target HIV interventions more effectively.
Mary McKay, Harvey Fields, Andwele Jolly, Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, and others participate in a panel discussing the Midwest D-CFAR’s place in the St. Louis environment. (PHOTO: Tina McGrath).
Shacham and others who spoke at the launch event emphasized that the diversity of expertise among Center investigators will help the region to see progress more quickly than we might otherwise. “The strength of collaboration is what I’m most excited about. We will be able to answer more questions and improve more lives when diverse perspectives and training lenses combine,” Shacham said. Beau Ances, director of the Clinical Science Core for the D-CFAR, expressed similar thoughts before the event. “Our vibrant network of investigators has the opportunity to foster a collective synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”
Many early-stage investigators in attendance at the launch were enthusiastic about Midwest D-CFAR’s training programs and the efforts the Center is making to meaningfully partner with community organizations, advocates, and HIV-affected individuals and groups. “The experts leading the Center have a wealth of knowledge and experience that will facilitate critical support around securing external funding and training opportunities to broaden my capacity and skillset as an emerging scholar,” said Tyriesa Howard, a behavioral scientist and assistant professor at WashU. “I especially enjoyed learning more about the Center's efforts to be intimately connected with the wellbeing of the local community in a reciprocal and mutually beneficial way."
An attendee at the Midwest D-CFAR launch event asks a question of panel discussants. (PHOTO: Tina McGrath).
Indeed, the Midwest D-CFAR is committed to convening diverse stakeholders in the fight against HIV to develop a shared vision for a community and practitioner-responsive research agenda, led by the Center’s Scientific Working Group (SWG) and its Research Community Collaborative. “The SWG is going to offer services to connect community members and researchers together to create research partnerships to write grants together,” Michael Durkin, director of the SWG, explained. (Researchers, public health practitioners, and representatives from community-based organizations focused on neglected populations living with or at risk for HIV in Missouri are invited to join the Research Community Collaborative by filling out this form).
“Ending the HIV epidemic in the Midwest demands that we, the public health communities, scientific communities as well as everyday citizens and persons living with HIV, all work together as partners and leaders,” emphasized Juliet Iwelunmor, Center co-director. The Midwest D-CFAR is poised to make significant strides in advancing HIV research, drawing on the collective expertise of its network of researchers, clinicians, public health program leaders, and community members to end the HIV epidemic in Missouri. Enthusiasm for these efforts was palpable at the Center’s launch event, and continued support and engagement from stakeholders will allow us to achieve our mission to expand the scope, quality, and impact of science addressing HIV to equitably improve the lives of people affected by the epidemic.
Attendees and presenters at the Midwest D-CFAR launch event in St. Louis on September 23, 2024. (PHOTO: Tina McGrath).
Written by Kate Gershwin and April Houston.