The Duke Collaborative Community Council (D3C) is a group of community members from Durham and across North Carolina. The D3C works together with the Duke CFAR to help guide HIV research at Duke. The D3C gives feedback on HIV research studies, plans community events, and helps researchers understand which research topics are most important for our community. Together, we believe that change is possible through community engagement in HIV research.
Read about the D3C’s 2024 World AIDS Day commemoration. Held in downtown Durham, the event brought together community members, CFAR researchers, and advocates to share stories, art, and insights that amplify the lived experiences of those affected by HIV.
Read about the D3C’s 2023 World AIDS Day event, Let Communities Lead, hosted in collaboration with the Durham County Department of Public Health, the LGBTQ Center of Durham, and CAARE, with support from Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.
See photos below from the D3C’s June 2023 health fair, hosted in collaboration with CAARE and the African American COVID-19 Task force. The event offered food, a DJ, and entertainment. Vendor tables offered services and information related to health, wellness, and social services - including HIV testing, Hepatitis C information, mental health screening from NCCU, and educational materials on PrEP from our very own Duke PrEP Clinic and the Durham County Department of Public Health.
Stay tuned for future outreach events from the D3C!
The D3C offers consultations to CFAR research teams to give feedback on grant proposal development or activities related to implementation of research projects. For example, the D3C has consulted on recruitment strategies, provided insight on best practices for compensation or methods of data collection, given advice on dissemination to ensure that study findings are communicated back to research participants and the broader community, and even guided key areas to expand CFAR’s research portfolio.
Access our summary document for language to describe the D3C in grant applications and a description of our consultation services [Duke NetID required to access].
To request a consultation, please contact Lizzy Knippler at elizabeth.knippler@duke.edu
The D3C is not currently accepting new applications. If you are interested in being involved, please contact Lizzy Knippler (elizabeth.knippler@duke.edu)
The current D3C Chair is Eugenia R.
Eugenia Rogers, Chair
I am a native of Durham, NC. I have been fortunate to raise my two beautiful children in the city I love and call home. I am an advocate for literacy and education. As a former librarian I believe we can empower people through education. I am especially enthusiastic about educating people about HIV and the stigma surrounding this virus. I joined the council to be a part of the work the council is doing on behalf of those living with HIV.
Previous Leadership
Rita McDaniel, Founding Senior Advisor
I'm originally from Virginia and moved to North Carolina in 1983. Mother of 5. Contracted HIV in 1993. In 2010 I decided to live my life and not let HIV define me and so my journey began....I served on many boards and committees learning all I could about this infection I would live with for a lifetime. I've been a member of North Carolina AIDS Action Network for many years but in 2018 became an employee and am currently working with them. Put my passion is cisgender women of color wanting to educate them on how to protect them from contracting HIV. And educating them on Pep and Prep.
José A. Romero, Founding Co-Chair
José A. Romero (they/them) is a Nonbinary Mexican/Salvadoran living with HIV committed to transformative justice and wellness for all BIPOC LGBTQI2S+ people and their communities. José was born in Washington State and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with honors in Cultural Anthropology before moving to North Carolina. Since 2012 they have led anti-racist systems change across the US and Mexico in various leadership roles. Since 2017, they have provided gender-affirming Spanish interpretation/translation for clients globally. José is on the Board of the LGBTQ+ Center of Durham, Co-Chair at the SUSTAIN Wellbeing COMPASS Center of the University of Houston, and the inaugural Director of CARE at the Pride Foundation. Their work on HIV Racial Justice is featured in CNN’s Blind Angels Series and they are actively recruiting multilingual PLWHIV for leadership opportunities.
Through input from community members and recognizing the need to improve power-sharing with the community, the D3C will provide annual strategic feedback on the CFAR’s activities during Community Advisory & Exchange Forums with each Core. The Cores will provide an overview of activities, get members’ input on specific questions, and engage in conversation to brainstorm ideas for engagement, led by the D3C and what they would like to see from the CFAR researchers. These meetings will enable the D3C to ask questions of researchers, an opportunity requested and valued by our community members.