Winter 2024

Leadership

New Board members installed

At the November Business Meeting, Emily Barr, Rasheeta Chandler and Anthony Velasco were installed as newly elected/re-elected ANAC BOD members for three year terms. Outgoing ANAC BOD member Trish Cioe was acknowledged for her service to ANAC.

Bylaws vote

Proposed amendments to the ANAC bylaws were presented to the membership this fall, discussed at the ANAC Business meeting and will be put forward to the membership in January for a vote.

Congratulations!

ANAC congratulates Dr. Laura Cheever, Associate Administrator of the HIV AIDS Bureau (HAB) at HHS on her leadership of the Ryan White programs as she retires after 25 years of service. A champion of inter-professional teams and the role of nurses in HIV care, her focus on community engagement and person-centered services is celebrated.

Policy

CMS announces change to PrEP coverage

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that HIV prevention services, including all forms of PrEP, provider visits and key screenings needed to start or renew a PrEP prescription will be covered without cost sharing (such as co-payment or deductibles), for those with Medicare coverage. Detailed information including eligibility and covered services can be found here.

Education

Webinar: AIDS 2024

ANAC members Ryan Tappin and Sarah Williams presented a webinar focused on Integrating New Data from AIDS 2024: Nurse Perspectives. Available for on-demand viewing, the presentation and discussion highlighted key studies presented at AIDS 2024 and how these new data will impact your nursing practice.

Webinar series: HIV and Aging

ANAC is offering a webinar series for those aging and living with HIV. The first two webinars in the series, “HIV and Aging: Geriatric Care and ART Adherence” and “The Crisis in Long Term Care” are available for on-demand viewing on our website. The final webinar in the series focused on long-term care planning will happen in February.

JANAC

Welcome Dr. Webel!

We are proud to announce that Dr. Allison Webel, PhD, RN, FAAN, (she/her) has been appointed as the new Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (JANAC), effective January 1, 2025. Dr. Webel will succeed Dr. Michael Relf.

ANAC Board, staff and members extend sincere gratitude to Dr. Relf for his outstanding leadership and contributions to JANAC over the past eight years to advance the journal's mission and impact. Thank you, Michael!

HANCB

New Board Members

Please join us in welcoming the 2025 HANCB Board of Directors, including new nominations chair, Camesha Thompson. They all bring a wealth of expertise to support others in their certification journey.

Welcome new certified nurses!

HANCB has had a busy year, certifying 9 new ACLPNs, 89 new ACRNs and 16 new AACRNs. Congratulations to all our newly-certified nurses and thank you for your commitment to continued education in providing patients with better care.

Conference

ANAC2024 - Indianapolis

Thank you to all that attended ANAC2024 in Indianapolis. The speakers, networking and sense of community were amazing! Stay tuned for “Best of Conference" available in January to ANAC members. View the online conference e-book.

Evaluations and NCPD

Conference evaluation and NCPD credits close on Dec. 31. In the conference app, go to the Evaluations for Attendees tab on the Event Home screen to complete your evaluation. Or you can complete your evaluations online. Log in using your ANAC user ID and password and follow the prompts from there to complete the evaluation and claim your nursing contact hours.

Research

PURPOSE 2 results

The full results from the pivotal PURPOSE 2 study of twice-yearly Lenacapavir (LEN) for HIV prevention among cisgender men and gender-diverse people showed that in this study population, LEN reduced HIV infections by 96%. Both PURPOSE 1 and 2 are part of a series of four LEN HIV prevention trials around the world, focused on health equity in HIV prevention. This includes unique early royalty-free release to allow for generic manufacture and access in 120 countries.

Resources

RxEACH Initiative

The RxEACH Initiative is a national coalition committed to expanding and sustaining access to HIV prevention and linkage to care services through community pharmacies. The Initiative prepared a guide to help providers, pharmacists and PrEP clients understand and integrate the transition for Medicare PrEP coverage from Part D to Part B.

ANAC member directory

Looking to make new connections after conference that align with your 2025 goals or need advice on an upcoming endeavor? Take advantage of the member-only ANAC directory. More than 500 members have opted into the member directory over the last year so you can expect their information to be up to date.

Be sure your information is also up to date and take advantage of this member-only benefit. Access it through the members-only login on the ANAC website.

Chapter News

NEW ANAC Chapter on the rise in South Carolina!

There is a new chapter that has formed in South Carolina led by Sabra Custer, Doug McCormick, Tia Robinson and Birddie Felkel! Contact anac@anacnet.org if you are interested in joining or connecting with them.

Chapter Reports 

The leadership reports ARE PAST DUE! If you have already submitted your report, thank you! Leadership reports were due in November. Please have these submitted by Jan. 6 to anac@anacnet.org!

The following reports are due by Jan. 31, 2025:

• Annual Treasurer's Report: Note that bank statements can be attached to the form and submitted online. Read the guidelines.
• Lobbying, conflict of interest statement: Reports can be submitted online via the ANAC website. You will need to login to your ANAC account to access the forms.

Contact Lynda Wileman for more details.

Committees

CALL FOR NEW COMMITTEE MEMBERS!

Interested in joining one of the ANAC Committees in 2025? Submit an application of interest!

Committees seeking active and engaged members:

• Chapters
• DEI
• Membership *NEW*

New Clinical Committee

ANAC is forming a Clinical Committee and would love your ideas and participation! If you are interested in joining or sharing your thoughts, please contact sheila@anacnet.org.

Member News

Jenn Sobolik, MSN, CNP and Justin Alves, MSN, FNP, ACRN had their HIV and Aging Scholars project work featured in a recent Medscape article, “Group Interventions Ease Loneliness in Older Adults With HIV."

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, RN, FAAN, has been installed as the Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

Nate Albright, APRN, ACRN at Ohio State University College of Nursing is conducting a study to understand HIV/STI prevention in the primary care setting for LGBTQ+ people. Click here for more information. 

Tavell Kindall, PhD, RN, FAAN was an invited speaker at the 83th meeting of the

President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) in Montgomery, AL. He presented

“Barriers to Addressing the Intersection of HIV, Stigma, and Social Determinants of

Health in the South.”

Do you have updates you want to share about yourself or a fellow ANAC member? Please send them to Nakera Dumas at Nakera@anacnet.org.

ANAC Awards

Congratulations to the 2024 ANAC Awards Recipients!

We awarded 13 ANAC members during the Awards Ceremony held in Indianapolis at ANAC2024. Throughout 2025, we will highlight various award recipients and their work! Congratulations again to the 2024 awardees!

Dr. Patrick Kenny Certified Nurse of the Year

Noriel Calaguas, PhD, MSHA, RN, ACRN

Joanne Ruiz Achievement for Excellence in Clinical Practice in HIV

Jennifer Sobolik, CNP, AACRN, AAHIVS

Frank Lamendola Achievement Award for Nursing Leadership in HIV Care

Jennifer Belfry, DNP, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

HIV Educator Distinguished Service Award

Noriel Calaguas, PhD, MSHA, RN, ACRN

Researcher/Impact Recognition Award

Pamela Kohler, RN, MPH, PhD

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Student Fellowship

JJ Jackson, MA, NCC, LCPC, LPC

Lucy Bradley-Springer Excellence in HIV Prevention Award

Jillian Pintye RN, MPH, PhD

Public Service Award

Sheryl Lee Ralph

Lifetime Achievement Award

Joachim Voss, RN, PhD, ACRN, FAAN

Helen Miramontes Advocacy Award

Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, LCSW, RN, ACRN

ANAC President's Award

Michael Relf, PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Richard L. Sowell JANAC Awards

Article of the Year

"What Did You Say, ChatGPT?" The Use of AI in Black Women's HIV Self-Education: An Inductive Qualitative Data Analysis

Rasheeta Chandler, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN

Global

Global membership increase

This past year, we’ve seen incredible growth among our global members, with representation from Ghana (219), Nigeria (109), the UK and Northern Ireland (42), Indonesia (35), Kenya (28) and the Philippines (22). Learn more about what our membership looks like.

Global Committee discusses health equity

During the Global Committee meeting at the ANAC Conference, we had a dynamic discussion about the successes of the PURPOSE 1 and 2 trials and the potential of Lenacapavir as a groundbreaking HIV treatment. The conversation also emphasized the critical importance of health equity and ensuring global access to these advancements. AVAC recently published a report highlighting Gears of Lenacapavir for PrEP Rollout.

Job Postings

The University of Washington is seeking accomplished educators and researchers to join our faculty. Multiple teaching, tenure-line, and research professor positions are open now. Find out more here.

San Antonio’s University Health’s FFACTS Clinic has an opening for a nurse practitioner. FFACTS is a comprehensive clinic for HIV Care including services such as, life coaching, professional case management, psychiatric services, and mental health/substance use counseling. Find out more here.

Support ANAC

Consider supporting ANAC this year! Help us do the work that supports you and the individuals and communities you serve. Every donation goes a long way, please give what is right for you. 

• $20 pays for one global member to access an e-version of JANAC each year, ensuring access to vital HIV care & research information.
• $50 covers the cost to host one virtual committee meeting, such as the rural, policy or research committee each month, supporting common causes across the globe.
• $100 supports the distribution of one monthly member newsletter, providing policy, education and research updates and fostering education and collaboration.
• $500 funds the registration of a nurse at ANAC’s annual conference, creating opportunities for learning and networking.
• $1,000 supports an ANAC DEI Fellow, by providing mentorship to an emerging healthcare provider, developing leadership skills centered in health equity.