TABLE OF CONTENTS
HANC ANNOUNCEMENTS
NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS
HANC PROGRAM UPDATES
CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS
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The Legacy Project will be at the
Brian Minalga, Murph Fuentes, and Joselyn Landazuri Vinueza will represent for HANC
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Check out our OAR collaborators!
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Beyond Silos: Using a Syndemic Lens to Advance Integrated HIV Care for Women
The Office of AIDS Research (OAR)
Thursday, September 17 2026
2:00 to 3:30 PM
NIH Office of AIDS Research Overview: Coordinating and Advancing the NIH HIV Research Agenda
The Office of AIDS Research (OAR)
Thursday, September 17
3:45 – 5:15 PM
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Legacy Project Represents!
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Sex Never Gets Old Cafe: Older adults and Sexual Pleasure
Kenric Ware, PharmD | Mercer University College of Pharmacy
Friday, Sept. 18
8:00 am - 11:00 am
Location: Carmel - Concourse Level/4th Floor
Sex and Pleasure in the Time of Surveillance and Criminalization: An Intergenerational Conversation
Brian Minalga | HANC
Friday, September 18
3:45 p.m.
Location: Room Catalina 5.
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Sensorial Maze: An Immersive Poem for Prevention
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What started as a mere idea during a fellowship has evolved into a first-of-its-kind innovation in storytelling and prevention. Sensorial Maze: An Immersive Poem for Prevention, created by Edgar Meraz, Executive Producer and Story Writer, explores the complexities and nuances of care through an immersive cinematic experience.
The project was initially conceived during the NMAC Gay Men of Color (GMoC) Fellowship, where Edgar Meraz received a mini-grant to support the project’s development.
The film offers audiences an opportunity to immerse themselves in a simulation case study that emulates nuances that sometimes feel like a thriller film. By placing viewers within this sensorial environment, the film invites them to experience, rather than simply observe, the barriers and complexities that can shape a person’s journey through care.
The film then transitions into traditional storytelling to emphasize that there is no single poster child for the conditions, experiences, and challenges facing our communities. Through this juxtaposition, Sensorial Maze challenges conventional approaches to prevention communication and creates space for a more nuanced, humanistic understanding of care.
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Rhonda White
Associate Director, Community Programs
FHI 360
Durham, NC
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Rhonda White is a person to know. She works tirelessly with both the IMPAACT and HPTN Networks, coordinating and leading community initiatives. She's a lady in the know, and she's always happy to connect people and ideas. Learn more about Rhonda and why she's a longtime friend to HANC and an irreplaceable collaborator.
Describe your current work in HIV research.
I
am an Associate Director of Community Programs at FHI 360, with more than 30 years of experience in public health education and over 25 years of leadership in community engagement for clinical research. In this role, I provide technical assistance for community engagement programs within the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) and the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network (IMPAACT) in HIV and tuberculosis prevention and treatment clinical trials conducted in the U.S. and internationally. My expertise includes community capacity-building, public health education, stakeholder engagement, and the application of Good Participatory Practice Principles across Phase I, II, and III clinical trials. My passion is developing resources to equip adult learners, community engagement staff, and community representatives to partner with researchers throughout the
clinical trials process.
What goals do you have for the coming year?
Designing study product adherence counseling materials and training study staff on their implementation.
Strengthening my understanding of implementation science (IS) and the role of community engagement principles in the design, implementation, and the impact in IS trials.
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Share a career highlight.
I will never forget joining a midday call in November 2020 to hear the results of HPTN 084, the Phase 3 double-blind study evaluating the safety and efficacy of long-acting injectable cabotegravir compared with daily oral TDF/FTC for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among women. As the results were shared, tears rolled down my face. My mother, who was in the next room, heard me shouting, "Yes! Yes!" and asked if I was okay. I was more than okay; that was one of the most memorable days of my career. My eyes still well up when I reflect on that day and the immense impact those results would have on HIV prevention for women around the world.
Another
career highlight that unfolded over time was witnessing the lasting impact of lessons learned from MTN-003/VOICE, the Phase 2b study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of daily oral TDF, oral TDF/FTC, and tenofovir 1% vaginal gel for HIV prevention among women. While the study's results were initially disappointing, they ultimately transformed the field of HIV prevention research in many ways. The most important lesson I took away was that even unexpected or discouraging trial outcomes can tremendously shape and strengthen future research. In my opinion, it was the VOICE trial that led to a deeper understanding of adherence, product use, and participant behavior, which helped improve the design and implementation of subsequent HIV prevention trials. Most importantly, it strengthened my belief that the voices, experiences, and perspectives of trial communities and participants are
among our greatest teachers.
What keeps you motivated?
What keeps me motivated is knowing that the giants who are no longer with us would be so pleased with all that has been and will be accomplished through well executed HIV, TB and other infectious disease clinical trials.
What are your passions outside of work?
My passions outside of work are spending time with my family and friends and spending time cheering for my favorite wide receiver football player, my son.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I would like to attempt being a labor and delivery nurse
What sound or noise do you love?
I love the sound of hymns because they remind me of my dear sweet mom who I deeply miss every day.
HANC finds the myriad of experiences and lessons that have shaped Rhonda's career inspiring. At the heart of it all, her family, her faith in community, and the memory of those who came before her continue to remind her why this work matters and inspire her to keep moving the field forward. We are lucky to have such an asset within the field. Rhonda listens first, and centers community in all she does. We hope Rhonda can relax with family and enjoy the upcoming football season with her favorite player, her son. Thank you Rhonda!
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ACTG Celebrates our Past IHIMP Awardees!
ACTG was excited to connect with the outgoing recipients of the James Hakim International HIV Investigator Mentoring Program (IHIMP), Drs. Ronnie Kasirye and Win Min Han. The James Hakim IHIMP Award has been an important part of ACTG’s commitment to mentoring the next generation of HIV researchers and is named for Dr. James Hakim, who made significant contributions to mentoring new HIV/AIDS researchers in Zimbabwe. The IHIMP provides support and makes mentorship available (awardees identify a mentor) to new investigators with a proven interest in conducting advanced clinical research in HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, or TB for two years.
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Ronnie first became aware of ACTG through its publications. He was impressed by the breadth and quality of the research, and the network's commitment to addressing important questions in HIV care through international collaboration. He eventually became involved in the network through the CRS MU-JHU Research Collaboration.
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Win’s initial involvement with the network was through the REPRIEVE study, which his Bangkok site (Thai Red Cross AIDS and Infectious Disease Research Centre CRS) was part of. “What drew me in was the scale of the studies in the network, being able to ask important research questions across dozens of countries at once, which you just can't do from a single cohort,” he said.
Ronnie
described the importance of the IHIMP as providing “an exceptional environment for early-career investigators to grow. It offers access to experienced mentors, research-related training, resources, and opportunities to collaborate with leading scientists worldwide. This kind of support is rarely available, especially for researchers from resource-limited settings.” Win added, “I believe programs like this are how the field does not just stay concentrated in a handful of well-established senior researchers and institutions. For someone early in their career, having a structured way in, such as a mentor and research support, is the difference between staying a site investigator running someone else's protocol and becoming someone who shapes the questions.”
Both Win and Ronnie described IHIMP’s mentorship as invaluable. “What I valued most was that [my mentor Anchalee Avihingsanon] did not just provide mentorship support and guidance; she pushed me to frame the questions myself and introduced me to the right people to connect and collaborate with,” said Win.
Ronnie was mentored by Drs. Kristine Erlandson and Philippa Musoke and worked closely with Prof. Aaron Tobian. “They provided guidance throughout every stage of the research process—from developing research questions and analyzing data to manuscript writing and grant development,” he said. “Beyond the technical skills, they also introduced me to a broad network of collaborators and advised me to plan strategically as I work towards becoming an independent researcher. Their support continues to shape the way I approach research and career development.”
Win also credits the IHIMP with giving him a network and a way of working that he will carry into his own investigator-led programs. “I am now leading independent research programs on HIV-related comorbidities and a lot of the collaborators and the confidence to do it came from IHIMP,” he said.
Ronnie too feels a long-lasting impact from his experience with IHIMP, revealing that it has strengthened his commitment to research on aging with HIV. “While people with HIV are living longer, there is still limited evidence on aging-related comorbidities in sub-Saharan Africa,” he noted. “I plan to continue working to help address these knowledge gaps through collaborative research.”
Both Ronnie and Win encourage young investigators to get involved with ACTG. They note that ACTG provides access to rich datasets, stored specimens, and an incredible community of researchers who are genuinely invested in supporting early-career investigators. “The more you engage with the network, the more you will gain from it,” said Ronnie. “The relationships you build are just as valuable as the science.” And Win added, “Don't wait to be asked; if you have a question worth answering, propose it. I spent too long thinking I needed permission to lead."
The IHIMP is now known as the ACTG Early Stage Investigator Mentorship Award and the most recent awardees are Dr. Paula Debroy and Dr. Evelyn Iriarte Parra. Please join us in expressing our appreciation for Ronnie and Win’s work during their tenure and wishing Paula and Evelyn our best in theirs! For more information, please check out our individual profiles on Win and
Ronnie on our website.
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Amplifying Community Engagement with
Social Media in HPTN 096 (BETA)
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HPTN 096, the Building Empathy Transforming Access (BETA) study, is enhancing community engagement through its social media component, creating meaningful connections, growth, and collective action between study stakeholders and community members. This community-centered approach guides the study’s recent activities in one of the partnering communities, Montgomery, Alabama.
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The HPTN 096 Social Media team recently hosted a three-day summit to strengthen the reach and awareness of HPTN 096 & study partner resources and to further center community voices in continued education, dialogue, and action around HIV. The team also filmed for the upcoming campaign titled "In Living Proof" that highlights the evolution of HIV awareness, prevention, care, and community experiences in Montgomery from the 1990s to today, while uplifting local voices and talent and reflecting on both the progress made and the work that remains.
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Behind the scenes, Terrell Rollins, a Peer Supporter in Montgomery, participated in the filming for the upcoming “In Living Proof” campaign.
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August 20th commemorated Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (SHAAD). Local coalition members, community advocates, peer supporters, and other local representatives gathered with a 90s-themed celebration to uplift, connect, and empower individuals and organizations impacted by HIV across the South. Throughout the day, attendees explored what the awareness day means to them and the significance of Southern communities in HIV prevention, care, treatment, education, and advocacy.
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Together, these efforts reflect the study’s commitment to working alongside the communities it supports, ensuring that Southern voices and perspectives remain central to conversations about HIV prevention, care, and treatment. These collaborations deepen relationships across the study and create meaningful opportunities for community members to lead the science.
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Members of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) will present at the United States Conference on HIV/AIDS in Anaheim, California, highlighting this year’s theme, “United and Unbreakable: The HIV Movement at 45”. The HVTN is a legacy sponsor of the USCHA Faith Preconference, which takes place on September 16th and is hosted by the US HIV/AIDS faith coalition. The Faith Pre-Conference is a full-day event, aimed at discussing and developing strategies to access and strengthen the capacity of houses of worship and faith-based organizations that are engaged, or wish to engage, in efforts to end the HIV epidemic.
Gail Broader will facilitate an Institute, “Analytical Treatment Interruption Studies: Guiding Preventive Vaccine Development and Cures.” This Institute will reconceptualize how you think about treatment, cure, and prevention. Analytical Treatment Interruption (ATI) studies among PLWH can provide researchers with unique insights into the development of immune responses that can inform the development of vaccines and broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) for HIV prevention. The Institute will review the cutting-edge science of ATI studies, advocacy efforts by PLWH, and opportunities for collaboration on future biomedical HIV-prevention tools.
Dr. Michele Andrasik, Sally Bock, and Gail Broader will facilitate a session titled “Focusing Creative Strategy to Develop Localized Social Media Campaigns.” The session will inform attendees about HVTN’s localized campaign development efforts and teach participants how to develop a creative brief for effective social media campaigns.
Louis
Shackelford will be co-facilitating two sessions. The first session is “Race is NOT a Risk Factor: Dismantling Race-Based Medicine to Close the HIV Care Gap”. This workshop examines how race-based medicine, the persistent, scientifically unsupported practice of using socially defined race as a biological proxy, creates structural barriers that drive HIV disparities in highly impacted communities. Drawing on the groundbreaking research of Dr. Andrea Deyrup as a framework, participants will explore how flawed race-coded diagnoses, delayed care, and provider bias compound barriers to equitable HIV care. The second session, "From Discovery to Community: HIV Vaccine and Cure Science Breakthroughs for Ending the Epidemic”. This workshop will present the most significant advances in HIV vaccine and cure science to date and examine what these breakthroughs mean for communities most
impacted by the epidemic. Louis will also host a listening session during the NIH Office of AIDS Research’s Workshop: "Coordinating and Advancing the NIH HIV Research Agenda", and will serve as a panelist during the Lifetime Survivors Session “More than Risk: Exploring Intimacy, Sexual Pleasure, and Autonomy for Lifetime Survivors”.
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Call for Self-Nominations:
IMPAACT Network Vice Chair
The IMPAACT Network is soliciting self-nominations for one Vice Chair position for the next funding cycle. If you would like to be considered for this position, information regarding requirements and application documents can be found here. All applications are due to the IMPAACT Operations Center by 8 September 2026 at 5:00 pm ET.
IMPAACT 2023 Informs FDA Approval for Dolutegravir in Neonates
Based on data from IMPAACT 2023,
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tivicay PD (dolutegravir), for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in pediatric patients (treatment-naïve or experienced but integrase strand transfer inhibitor-naïve) weighing at least 2 kg. The study took place at 15 sites across South Africa, Thailand, and the United States. Further information on the study and FDA approval is available here.
Study Updates
- IMPAACT 2034 met participants off study/primary analysis completed (POS/PAC) status as of 14 August 2026. This was a study of a single-dose of pretomanid (Pa) in infants, children, and adolescents less than 18 years of age living with or without HIV and confirmed or probable rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis. IMPAACT 2034 took place at six sites in Brazil, India, South Africa, and Thailand.
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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): no updates.
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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 has revised its guidelines to extend an invitation to all Network GCAB/ICAB/CWG Chairs and Co-Chairs. The addition of these Co-Chairs will facilitate better bidirectional communication between CP, the CABs, and sites. The Cross-Network GCAB Co-Chairs met in August 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 working group will meet next in September.
The Community Partners Executive Committee met in August and continued planning for the 2026 virtual Community Partners meeting in October 2026.
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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 Implementation Science Working Group (ISWG) reviewed implementation science activities across ACTG, HPTN, HVTN, and IMPAACT, highlighting opportunities to harmonize implementation outcomes and measures. The discussion also focused on cross-network gaps, including partnerships with sites and community organizations, training and expert consultation needs, and the potential development of a shared resource or thought piece defining the networks’ collective role in implementation science.
The Cross-Network Data Management Center Working Group (DMCWG) discussed ongoing validation and coordination between Frontier Science and SCHARP, as well as plans for the DSUR pilot and how reports will be combined across DMCs. Additional updates covered anticipated NOFOs, Rave EDC, and increased study activity and database workload.
The Cross-Network Site Coordinators Working Group (SCWG) recently reviewed feedback on SCORE Manual updates, highlighting the need for improved communication to support implementation across sites.
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Tyler Brown
HANC Laboratory
Project Manager
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The Lab Focus Group (LFG) met in August to review Lab Center comments on the draft DAIDS GCLP Guidelines v4.1. The group also discussed ongoing shipping disruptions affecting lab supplies and reagents, as well as a new shortage tracking system expected to launch in the coming weeks.
Announcement: Version 8.0 of the Cross-Network PBMC Processing SOP is now available on the HANC website in Spanish, Portuguese, Thai, and Vietnamese. These translated versions were published in August, following publication of the English version in June. Click here to access the SOPs.
Announcement: DCLOT, the Network Laboratory Centers, and other stakeholders are currently updating the DAIDS Good Clinical Laboratory Practice Guidelines, which was last published in 2021. A new version is expected to be published later this year.
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Brian Minalga
HANC
Deputy Director
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Joselyn Landazuri Vinueza
Legacy
Project Manager
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Gabriella Olague
Legacy
Project Coordinator
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The Legacy Project Working Group met in August to continue discussions on developing shared expectations for community engagement across the Networks.
September 8: We are also excited to announce that the Be the Generation newsletter is back with this latest issue! Check the BTG News section of the Be the Generation website on the 8th, and stay tuned for updates, community stories, and the latest HIV research news.
September 16-20: The Legacy Project will be at the US Conference on HIV & AIDS in Anaheim, CA. Come check out this workshop with Legacy Project Director, Brian Minalga: “Sex and Pleasure in the Time of Surveillance and Criminalization: An Intergenerational Conversation,” taking place on Friday, September 18 at 3:45 p.m. in Room Catalina 5.
October 7: The Legacy Project is hosting the first webinar in a new series “From Bench to Impact,” with this first one focused on lenacapavir, featuring Dr. Wesley Sundquist, Dr. Moupali Das, and Ms. Yvette Raphael. Please hold 10 a.m. Pacific for this webinar; registration information will be available soon.
October 27: The New Investigators Working Group will launch its first New Investigators Webinar Series at 10 a.m. Pacific, featuring Dr. Michelle Bulterys, Dr. Grace Miriam Ahimbisibwe, and Dr. Paula Debroy. Registration information and webinar details will be available soon.
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Follow Legacy Project on Social Media!
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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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HVTN's Translational Vaccine Early Stage Investigator Conference (San Antonio, Texas, USA)
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Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (Seattle, Washington, USA)
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