Indiana University will host its first national HIV conference, Stepping Into the 5th Decade-Evolving Our Response to HIV, on June 8-11, 2022, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The event marks one of the first times a university has led a national HIV conference bringing together higher education, nonprofit, biomedical research, health departments, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, key constituents, and consumers engaged in HIV/AIDS prevention, research, and care.

The four-day conference will host 1,000+ participants and features four keynote speakers, 200 workshops, and 100 poster sessions. Most importantly, the gathering will provide a platform for conversation and knowledge sharing about the current state of HIV in this country, how to reach at-risk populations (especially college students), prevention resources, and treatment and care.

“This conference will bridge higher education with HIV professionals, healthcare workers, pharmaceutical companies, and frontline workers who are doing HIV prevention, HIV education, and HIV care,” notes Bruce E. Smail, director of the LGBTQ+ Culture Center, special assistant to the vice president for diversity, equity, and multicultural affairs, and IUNHC chair. “It will build a much-needed network, offer participants an opportunity to interact, exchange ideas, and so much more.”

“Although many HIV/AIDS conferences occur nationally and globally, very few workshops focus on higher education and reach college students who make up a significant population of those who are considered high risk,” adds Smail.

The Indiana University National HIV Conference (IUNHC) is hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Multicultural Affairs (OVPDEMA) at Indiana University.

A number of nationally recognized speakers and prominent HIV/AIDS researchers plan to keynote the conference. All are on the President’s Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS. Among them:

• Raniyah Copeland, M.P.H., co-founder and principal of Equity & Impact Solutions and the former president/CEO of Black AIDS Institute.
• Tori Cooper, M.P.H., director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative at the Human Rights Campaign.
• Michael S. Saag, M.D., associate dean for Global Health and a physician and prominent HIV/AIDS researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“With the larger and more geographically dispersed population living with AIDS to the south of Indiana, IU’s nationally ranked medical school, and its Rural Center for AIDS/STD prevention, Indiana University is pleased to host a national conference, creating a platform for all sectors of society to come together and respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” said James C. Wimbush, vice president for diversity, equity, and multicultural affairs, dean of The University Graduate School, and Johnson Chair for Diversity and Leadership.

Conference organizers are currently accepting workshop and poster presentation proposals through January 31, 2022. Conference attendees registering by January 28, 2022 will receive a discounted rate of $400. The cost includes the opening reception, continental breakfast and luncheons each day, and networking socials. To ensure all communities, especially those disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS have access to the conference, 25 IUNHC Scholars will receive grants to attend. To register and learn more, visit iunhc.indiana.edu.