Duke CFAR colleagues met up in Munich, Germany at AIDS 2024 throughout the week and at a Duke CFAR and Duke HIV Global Initiative mixer attended by Sheron Lewin (IAS president) and several colleagues.
Dana Chow, a 3rd year medical student at Duke-NUS in Singapore, won the Prize for Excellence in HIV Research Related to Children and Adolescents. Dana spent her third year conducting research with mentor Dorothy Dow and her team in Moshi, Tanzania on the Sauti ya Vijana (SYV) project evaluating and implementing the mental health care referral system linking youth living with HIV with moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or trauma to additional support within the local standard of care. Congratulations, Dana!
Chinenye Agina, another of Dr. Dow's mentees on the SYV project, presented her work in an oral abstract session. Chinenye presented on the peer group leader experience delivering the SYV intervention in the session Mental Health Matters.
Other Duke CFAR members took to the stage and presented posters throughout the week:
Wilton Williams presented his talk “Using mRNA technology to improve the pace of HIV vaccine discovery” during the plenary Developments in Eliciting Broadly Neutralizing Antibody Vaccination. His talk discussed ongoing efforts to address the key question: Can we use mRNA technology used in COVID19 vaccines to make HIV-1 vaccines that can generate highly effective antibodies, i.e. capable of preventing the infection of our cells, along with cellular responses to eliminate the cells where the virus is hiding?
Chris Beyrer moderated two plenaries: Addressing structural barriers: How can we do better? and Under threat: Findings and recommendations from the IAS–Lancet Commission on Health and Human Rights
Jirair Ratevosian moderated the session No retreat! No surrender! The urgency of aligning investments where they are needed most in the global HIV response with special guest, Congresswoman Barbara Lee who has been a long-term HIV activist and PEPFAR supporter.
Poster presenters included: Dana Chow; Mehri McKellar, Charlie Burns, & Justin Frye; Lance Okeke & Meredith Clement; Kelly Seaton; Valerie Yelverton, and Roberto Orellana (presenting on behalf of Dirk Davis). Philippe Rascale participated in the ANRS MIE-DZIF HIV Cure satellite.
