TABLE OF CONTENTS
HANC ANNOUNCEMENTS
NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS
HANC PROGRAM UPDATES
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
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HVTN Full Group Meeting
Reflections from Jarissa Greenard, Community Educator from the Vanderbilt CRS & US Co-Chair of the HVTN’s Global Community Educators & Recruiters Working Group
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I left the HVTN Full Group Meeting feeling deeply inspired, challenged, and reminded why this work matters so much.
One thing became incredibly clear throughout the conversations shared by Community Educators, Recruiters, and Community Advisory Board members across the network: community engagement is not secondary to the science. It is part of the science.
The future of HIV research cannot be built on data alone. It must also be built on trust, relationships, cultural understanding, ethical responsibility, and genuine accountability to the communities most impacted by HIV.
So many of the discussions throughout the meeting centered around questions that deserve deeper attention:
How do we build research systems that people actually feel connected to?
How do we move beyond recruitment and toward true community stewardship?
How do we ensure communities feel seen, valued, informed, and cared for throughout the entire research process?
As a Community Educator and Recruiter, I’m constantly reminded that this work is not only about clinical trials.
It is about people.
It is about listening.
It is about showing up consistently.
It is about building trust over time.
It is about creating space for honest conversations, and making sure communities understand that they are not just participants in the work, but partners in it.
One reflection I shared during the meeting continues to stay with me:
Visibility is not limited to social media or digital platforms. Visibility lives in relationships.
It lives in trust.
It lives in presence.
And it lives in continuing to show up for community even when systems shift around us.
Despite political shifts, evolving healthcare landscapes, funding uncertainty, and public mistrust, our mission remains the same:
to continue raising awareness around HIV vaccine research and contribute to the pursuit of developing a safe, effective, preventive HIV vaccine one day.
This work requires science. But it also requires humanity. And I’m grateful to be in spaces with people across this network who continue fighting for both.
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Community Behind HVTN's Science
Murph Fuentes interviews just a few stellar collaborators at the HVTN Full Group Meeting
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Click to meet John Sefakis, aka Stella D'oro, on why they go way back with vaccines - from ACT UP to a drag queen with a cause.
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Click to have a little faith with Dr. Ulysses W. Burley III, the Director of HVTN's Faith Initiative.
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Click to find out how to stay visible and optimistic with trans influencer and HVTN player, Hope Giselle.
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WELCOME
JOSELYN TO THE
HANC TEAM!
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HANC is thrilled to welcome Joselyn Landazuri Vinueza as the HANC Legacy Project Manager. Joselyn
is an infectious disease scientist and bilingual science communicator originally from Ecuador. She earned her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Washington, where her research focused on how some viruses can cause cancer. Alongside her research, Joselyn has built experience in science communication, community engagement, and advocacy focused on improving access and representation in research. She has hosted science talks in Spanish, written for the Fred Hutch newsletter, and contributed to initiatives supporting historically underrepresented communities in science and public health. At HANC, Joselyn will support efforts to strengthen community partnerships and improve public awareness and participation in HIV clinical trials. She is passionate about building trust between research institutions and communities through culturally responsive communication and engagement. She also
plans to attend the 2026 ACTG annual meeting and the US Conference on HIV & AIDS. Her first day at HANC was May 27. Please join us in giving Joselyn a warm welcome!
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June 10, 2026
10:00 - 11:30 AM ET
Click here for the time in your location.
Speakers:
Bokani Nleya, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Sari Reisner, University of Michigan
Yuanqi Mi, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Moderator:
Brian Minalga, Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination (HANC)
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June 29, 2026
9:00 - 10:00 AM PT
Click here for the time in your location.
A
recently published study in Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics examines how research incentives are understood and experienced in HIV research by people living with HIV (PLWH), institutional review board (IRB) members, and researchers. The study found that IRB members and researchers were most concerned about incentives being too high, while PLWH were more concerned about incentives being too low, which they felt could undermine trust and feel exploitative. Across all groups, participants emphasized the need for greater transparency, clearer guidance, and stronger community engagement in determining incentive amounts. Together, these insights highlight the importance of aligning ethical decision‑making with community priorities to strengthen trust in HIV research. This webinar will include a summary of the study findings, as well as actionable steps to determine
ethical incentives for research participation.
SPEAKER:
Karah Greene, MSW, University of South Florida’s School of Social Work
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Rajesh T. Gandhi, MD
ACTG Vice Chair
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts
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Rajesh Gandhi, MD, serves as Vice Chair of the ACTG and brings more than three decades of experience in HIV clinical care and research. Having witnessed the transformation of HIV from a fatal disease to a manageable chronic condition, Dr. Gandhi has played a key role in advancing HIV treatment, cure-focused research, and clinical care guidelines. As ACTG Vice Chair, he is committed to advancing transformative clinical trials, strengthening research sites and community partnerships, and supporting the next generation of HIV investigators to ensure the network remains at the forefront of global HIV research.
Describe your current work in HIV research.
I
have been involved in HIV clinical care since the 1990s and in HIV research in the ACTG and the Harvard Center for AIDS Research since the early 2000s. I have seen the transformation of HIV from a disease that was inevitably fatal to one that we are able to treat and control over a lifetime. I have served as a leader of several HIV guidelines committees, which has given me a vantage on advances in HIV clinical care. In my research, I have led clinical trials focused on decreasing the HIV reservoir, improving antiretroviral therapy, and developing immune-based approaches to controlling HIV. I am the leader of the Massachusetts General Hospital ACTG Clinical Research Site and Co-Director of the Harvard Center for AIDS Research. I am honored to be selected as Vice Chair of the ACTG and to serve as a clinical trials network leader in improving care of people living with HIV.
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What goals do you have for the coming year?
My goals center around three key pillars: conducting transformative clinical trials, fostering clinical research sites, and supporting new investigators and community partnerships. I am committed to working on streamlining trials, integrating new technologies, discovering new therapies, expanding community partnerships, promoting implementation science, and ensuring the ACTG remains at the forefront of HIV research globally.
Share a career highlight.
Serving as Chair of multiple ACTG trials and Co-director of the Harvard Center for AIDS Research and working alongside colleagues and partners to improve care of people with HIV. Serving as a leader of HIV and COVID-19 guidelines panels that provide input to clinicians caring for people with HIV and other infectious diseases.
What motivates you in this work?
Seeing the impact of the work that we do together and the care that we provide.
What are your passions outside of work?
I cherish time with my wife and two children, one of whom is a resident in internal medicine and the other is involved in expanding access to affordable housing. I love spending time with my parents, sisters, and family. I enjoy biking and hiking vacations, attending symphony performances at Tanglewood, and discussing philosophy through a virtual book club that connects me with friends worldwide.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Working as a tour guide. I love visiting places, learning new things, and taking and giving tours. If I couldn’t do medicine and research, I would be a tour guide.
Tell us something that most people wouldn’t know about you.
I spent my youth listening to punk rock as part of the Salt Lake City (my hometown) scene.
A former punk rock kid leading transformative HIV treatment and cure research? HANC loves this evolution for Dr. Gandhi. We are grateful for this tour through an impressive career. It's clear their curiosity and philosophical leanings drive an unbeatable passion to end the HIV epidemic. HANC hopes lots of beautiful music and family time are in Dr. Gandhi's future. Thank you!
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A5402 Leaders in the Spotlight
ACTG was excited to recently announce the launch of study A5402, a landmark trial evaluating treatments for depressive disorders with or without mild neurocognitive disorder among people living with HIV. We took this opportunity to hear from two of the leaders of the study: Co-Chair Dr. William R. Short (University of Pennsylvania) and Vice Chair Dr. Shibani Mukerji (Massachusetts General Hospital).
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Dr. Mukerji described her path to ACTG as developing from her clinical and research work in neurology and infectious diseases, which began early in her medical training. “I was drawn to the network because it brought together scientists committed to neurology and HIV, multidisciplinary collaboration, and a shared goal of improving the lives of people living with HIV,” she said.
Dr. Short became involved with ACTG 10 years ago. “I was drawn to the ACTG network because of the opportunity to participate in a collaborative, NIH-funded research infrastructure that has played a central role in shaping the modern treatment of HIV through rigorous, practice-changing clinical trials,” he said.
They have both found a home at ACTG for their specific areas of research. Dr. Mukerji’s ACTG research centers on neurologic complications of HIV. She is particularly interested in how peripheral immune processes affect brain health, including mechanisms of persistent immune activation despite viral suppression. Dr. Short’s research with the network has largely focused on the use of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART), with a specific focus on how these therapies can be used in populations who may face challenges with daily oral adherence.
They have come together to lead A5402, which is evaluating pramipexole extended release compared to escitalopram (standard selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor therapy) for major depressive disorder in people living with HIV, including those with mild neurocognitive disorder. The goal of the study is to determine whether these strategies can improve depressive symptoms, treatment tolerability, and participant-reported outcomes.
Depression is common among people living with HIV, and while there is growing momentum to launch interventional trials that support brain health, A5402 is one of the first global trials in the modern ART era to focus collectively on this goal.
Both leaders describe the study as particularly exciting. “A5402 recognizes depression as a critical comorbidity in HIV care and directly tests interventions that could improve both mental health and HIV-related outcomes,” said Dr. Short. “The potential to identify more effective or better-tolerated treatments for depression in this population could meaningfully improve quality of life, support ART adherence, and ultimately lead to better long-term clinical outcomes for people living with HIV.”
“What I find most exciting is the opportunity to tailor antidepressant strategies based on mechanistic data collected from people across the world,” added Dr. Mukerji. “A unique strength of A5402 is its timely focus on pathways related to dopamine, which is supported by new evidence in treatment-resistant depression.”
The leaders of A5402 describe ACTG as having the necessary multidisciplinary expertise for a study like this one, bringing together HIV clinicians, psychiatrists, pharmacologists, statisticians, and behavioral scientists to evaluate both psychiatric outcomes and HIV-related endpoints (such as ART adherence and viral suppression). In addition, its expertise in neuropsychological assessment across global sites, biologic sampling, and multicenter trial coordination allows for consistent evaluation of clinical and mechanistic outcomes across diverse locations.
It is these very components that make working with ACTG compelling for Drs. Mukerji and Short. “What I find most meaningful about working with ACTG is the shared sense of purpose across community members, investigators, clinicians, and administrators,” said Dr. Mukerji. “The network fosters collaboration across specialties, which strengthens the scientific questions we ask and the solutions we generate. It is deeply fulfilling to contribute to work that is scientifically engaging and immediately relevant to patient care.”
Dr. Short added, “ACTG offers the opportunity to contribute to studies that have global impact, ensuring that advances in HIV therapeutics are supported by high-quality data and can be translated into real-world clinical practice. I like having the ability to collaborate with colleagues from across the country and around the world, each bringing different expertise and perspectives to study design and implementation. These collaborations not only strengthen the scientific rigor of the work, but also foster mentorship, professional development, and the generation of new ideas that would not be possible within a single center.”
A5402 is also led by Co-Chair Dr. Scott Letendre and Vice Chair Dr. David J. Moore (both of University of California San Diego).
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The 2026 HPTN Annual Meeting
recently concluded in Arlington, Virginia, and online, with over 700 attendees from 21 countries – including investigators, community representatives, site staff, and research partners. 52 invited speakers contributed to a program designed around high-priority and emerging challenges in HIV prevention. Sessions explored approaches in implementation science, new health technologies, sexually transmitted infections, and novel product development to expand the HIV prevention toolbox. Panels offered provocative and honest conversations about ensuring that community voices are central to science co-creation. Presentations from HPTN investigators outlined findings from HPTN 111 (TRIM), a vanguard study that delivered HIV prevention services in barbershops; milestones achieved in HPTN 106 (REV UP), a study examining an on-demand rectal microbicide for PrEP; design changes in HPTN 096 (BETA),
an integrated strategy currently being implemented in the U.S. South; and previewed aims for additional studies in development. Recordings of presentations remain accessible to registered attendees through the online portal. The 2027 HPTN Annual Meeting is scheduled for 5-9 June 2027.
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See the documentary,
Ending HIV: The Journey to a Vaccine
The
HVTN's documentary, Ending HIV: The Journey to a Vaccine, is now available for use in community and educational settings along with a study guide. The film follows the 25-year quest of a global group of remarkable scientists, community leaders, volunteers and advocates in their tireless effort to solve medical science’s greatest challenge-a vaccine that can spark human immunity and prevent HIV. Through the breakthroughs and setbacks, the film explores the behind-the-scenes work of researchers, the voices of communities, and the altruism of volunteers who share a growing certainty that we are closer than ever to a vaccine that could end the deadliest pandemic in modern history. It is a powerful portrayal of persistence, hope, and the urgent need, now more than ever, to support science in the pursuit of a generation who can live free from HIV. The documentary was released in February at
the Boston Museum of Science’s IMAX theater.
If you need assistance in planning an event using the film, please contact Sally Bock: sbock@fredhutch.org
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2026 IMPAACT Network Annual Meeting
The virtual 2026 IMPAACT Network Annual Meeting starts this Thursday! The Community Plenaries will be held 4-5 June, followed by the Network Plenaries on 9-11 June. Registration, the agenda, and additional meeting information can be found on the Annual Meeting page. We hope you can join us!
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Behavioral and Social Sciences
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Kathleen Pescasio
HANC Cross-Network
Project Manager
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The Behavioral Science Consultative Group (BSCG) discussed growing support across the networks for implementation science. Members explored how behavioral and social science expertise could be integrated with implementation science efforts.
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Murph Fuentes
Project Manager
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Russell Campbell
HANC Director
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Community Partners (CP): Community Partners benefited from a presentation on a Destigmatizing Substance Use Training devised by HANC's Destigmatizing Substance Use Working Group. The Cross-Network GCAB Co-Chairs met again to discuss CAB issues across the Networks and find harmonizing solutions.
Community Partners also continues its work on a TB manuscript outlining the work and collaboration between CP and the Community Research Advisors Group (CRAG) that explores the complex relationship between HIV and TB.
The Community Partners Executive Committee will meet in June and continue planning for the 2026 virtual Community Partners meeting.
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Cross-Network Coordination
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Kathleen Pescasio
HANC Cross-Network
Project Manager
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The Cross-Network Site Coordinators Working Group (SCWG) received a presentation from DAIDS on a new centralized monitoring pilot initiative, which uses remote analysis of clinical trial data to identify potential data quality, compliance, and participant safety issues across selected studies. Discussion focused on how findings will be communicated to sites, expected follow-up actions, and efforts to minimize additional burden on sites.
The Cross-Network Data Management Center Working Group (DMCWG) discussed Medidata initiatives, implementation science planning, and the operational implications of new DAIDS requirements. Members also shared experiences related to TSDV oversight and EDC system upgrades.
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Tyler Brown
HANC Laboratory
Project Manager
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The Cross-Network Clinical Pharmacology Discussion Group met in May to discuss reference standard quality issues with specific vendors, including Clearsynth, and how labs can mitigate these issues through vendor qualification and alternate sourcing.
The Lab Focus Group met in May to discuss workarounds for current shipping and supply disruptions, progress on a new cross-network shortage tracking system, and updates to the Cross-Network PBMC SOP.
Announcements:
The network laboratory centers are updating the current PBMC SOP, version 7.0. The new English version is expected to be published in June, with translated versions to follow in July. An announcement will be shared once the new version is available.
Frontier Science announced that the web version of LDMS will be upgraded to the newest release, version 11.1, on Sunday, June 14. The upgrade is scheduled to begin at 8:00 AM ET and is expected to take approximately 3 hours. During this time, the LDMS database will be unavailable. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact User Support at ldmshelp@frontierscience.org.
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Brian Minalga
HANC
Deputy Director
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Gabriella Olague
Legacy
Project Coordinator
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5/20: The Destigmatizing Substance Use working group presented their Destigmatizing Substance Use in HIV Clinical Trials training for the first time!
6/10: Powerful trans-focused research was presented at this year’s Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI). Join the HANC Legacy Project and AVAC’s The Choice Agenda for a webinar,
Transgender Research 2026 – Findings from CROI and Beyond. Three scientists who presented at CROI will further share their work on everything from cervical tissues to healthcare policies and community priorities beyond HIV care and prevention. Brian will moderate, and Jim Pickett (representing AVAC’s The Choice Agenda who is also a co-chair of the Legacy Project Working Group) will host. Register at the link above!
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Follow Legacy Project on Social Media!
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IMPAACT Annual Meeting (Virtual)
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Continuum 2026 (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
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ACTG Annual Meeting (Washington DC, USA)
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AIDS 2026 (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
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2026 U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (Anaheim, California, USA)
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Fast Track Cities 2026 (Berlin, Germany)
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