November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance

Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) is an annual observance on November 20 that honors the memory of the transgender people whose lives were lost in acts of anti-transgender violence. The week before TDOR, people and organizations around the country participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise visibility for transgender people and address issues the community faces.

In the US, a staggering 21.6% of transgender women are living with HIV. The National Transgender Discrimination Survey reported that transgender people of color report exponentially higher rates of HIV – the highest rates were 24.9% for transgender African Americans (compared to 2.4% for all African Americans), 10.9% for transgender Latinos (compared to .08 for all Latino/as), as compared to a rate of 0.6% for the general US population. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identifies certain risk factors directly tied to transphobia and the marginalization that transgender people face that may contribute to such high infection rates, including higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse, sex work, incarceration, homelessness, attempted suicide, unemployment, lack of familial support, violence, stigma and discrimination, limited health care access, and negative health care encounters.

Read more about TDOR, and find out how you can show support for the community on this day and become a better ally.

News from the CFAR

Join the CFAR D3C for World AIDS Day on December 1st!

Every year on December 1st, the world unites to commemorate World AIDS Day. This annual event serves as a reminder of the global struggle to end HIV-related stigma, an opportunity to honor those we have lost, and a rallying cry to continue working toward a day when HIV is no longer a public health threat. In 2023, we mark the 35th commemoration of this important day.

The UNAIDS theme for World AIDS Day 2023 is Let Communities Lead. In this spirit, our Duke Collaborative Community Council (D3C), would like to invite you to join us for an evening of storytelling and talks from advocates and researchers to fight stigma and lift up our community. This event will be in hosted in collaboration with the Durham County Department of Public Health, the LGBTQ Center of Durham, and CAARE, with support from Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority.

Friday, December 1, 2023

6:00 - 8:00 pm

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall

403 E Main St, Durham, NC 27701

Please mark your calendars and help us spread the word! We will send a shareable email plus flyers and social-media friendly posts in English and Spanish soon... stay tuned!

CFAR investigators, if you have any research recruitment materials that you would like to bring to the event to have available, please contact Lizzy Knippler at elizabeth.knippler@duke.edu

Applications open for Duke Quantitative Methods in HIV/AIDS Summer Internship

The Duke Quantitative Methods in HIV/AIDS training grant is again offering paid internships for Summer 2024. We are seeking graduate students in quantitative disciplines, including but not restricted to mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science and engineering, to conduct HIV/AIDS research. Interns will be jointly mentored by an HIV research scientist and a quantitative faculty member, and will gain hands-on team science experience among some of the leading research groups in HIV/AIDS.

Please share this information with anyone who might be interested.

2024 Quantitative Methods in HIV/AIDS Summer Internship Application

Internship Details

• Up to 10 summer internships available in Summer 2024: May 20 – August 9 (12 weeks)
• Multi-year internships are possible
• Interns will be provided a stipend of $21 per hour (up to a maximum of 40 hours per week) for their participation (unless forbidden by NIH- e.g., T32 recipients)
• Funding is available for interns to present a poster or talk at a national or international conference
• All interns are required to attend weekly internship meetings in person.
• Click here for examples of projects that interns worked on in past years.

Applications should be received by midnight Saturday, January 7, 2024 for priority consideration.

Intern Eligibility

• Interns must have a quantitative background (e.g. stats, math, CS, data science, engineering).
• Interns must be enrolled in a graduate program at the time of the internship.
• All graduate student employees must work in North Carolina.
• No students can work outside of the U.S. whether a U.S. citizen, Green Card holder, visa holder or not.
• Foreign nationals who are physically located in the U.S. can work, but their visa status must allow for this work.

We especially welcome applications from women, individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, individuals with disabilities or individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds.



Please email kelly.sune@duke.edu if you have any programmatic questions.

Learn more about the program and application.

Read reflections from 2022 and 2023 summer interns.

Inter-CFAR Transgender Health Working Group Panel Discussion



Thursday, November 9, 2023 | 3:30 - 5pm ET | Zoom

Topic: Transgender Inclusion & Ethical considerations in molecular epidemiological research and surveillance

Speakers: Susan Little, Aleks Martin

Moderator: Ames Simmons

Registration is required. Please register HERE.

Moderator/Speaker Bios

Ames Simmons, he/him

Ames Simmons is a queer white transgender man who holds a senior fellowship at Duke University School of Law and lectures at George Washington University’s graduate program in LGBT Health Policy & Practice. His previous roles include policy director at National Center for Transgender Equality and at Equality North Carolina. Ames attended Agnes Scott College, Emory University Law School, and George Washington University’s Health Policy & Practice graduate certificate program. His work is grounded in community-based anti-racism, anti-violence, and anti-poverty efforts to achieve justice for transgender people and collective liberation.

Susan Little, she/her

Susan Little is a distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), specializing in Infectious Diseases. She received her medical degree in 1987 from the Washington University School of Medicine and completed her residency at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, followed by an Infectious Diseases fellowship at UCSD. Joining UCSD's faculty in 1993, Dr. Little is a prominent figure in the field of HIV research, leading NIAID-sponsored programs for HIV-1 infection identification, enrollment, and treatment. She has directed programs evaluating HIV transmission determinants and currently serves as the Principal Investigator of the San Diego Primary Infection Resource Consortium (PIRC), focusing on HIV research. Dr. Little is also a prolific author in peer-reviewed journals and actively mentors students and faculty. Furthermore, she directs the Antiviral Research Center (AVRC) at UCSD, a major hub for clinical and translational research trials related to infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, influenza, tuberculosis, and more.



Aleks Martin (s/he, they)

Aleks Martin has 20+ years of experience in health and social services, with a strong commitment to the LGBTQI2+ community. They began their journey working on an HIV-prevention study, YAMS, which highlighted the importance of community-based programs. Aleks spent 7 years with Public Health - Seattle & King County, including involvement in the pilot study for the Rapid HIV Test Kit. A significant part of their career was at Seattle Counseling Service, where they developed a passion for higher education. A University of Washington School of Social Work graduate, Aleks is now a mental health clinician and social justice advocate. They've started a private practice to support LGBTQI2+ and BBIPOC individuals, especially Queer and Trans Asian and Pacific Islander communities, addressing diverse issues like coming out, cultural conflicts, and more.

Please see the following Lancet article for more information/background on the topic to be discussed: Consent and criminalisation concerns over phylogenetic analysis of surveillance data

Register for the panel discussion.

CHSI Seminar - You are What You Were: Immune History Based on Correlates of Protection



Wednesday, November 15, 2023 | 10-11am ET | Hock Auditorium & Zoom

The Duke Center for Systems Immunology is sponsoring, “You are What You Were: Immune History Based on Correlates of Protection” by Tomer Hertz, PhD, from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He will be speaking on Wednesday, November 15^th from 10 – 11am, with in person and virtual options to join.

Prof. Hertz and his colleagues take a computational and wet lab approach to studying

systems immunology within the context of vaccines and diseases. More specifically, Dr.

Hertz is interested in the immune response following infection or vaccination within the

context of immune history and memory – how do previous infections and exposure in the world affect how your immune system will react?

Zoom option

https://duke.zoom.us/j/94455959829?pwd=S1p5OUtOVWFNOEJDOEl5Ukh3c3NKUT09

UNC-Duke Symposium on Viral Oncology & HIV/AIDS Malignancy



Thursday, December 7, 2023 | Carolina Club, Hill Alumni Hall

The UNC-Duke Viral Oncology and AIDS Malignancy Symposium will be held in person at The Carolina Club in Chapel Hill, NC, on Thursday, December 7, 2023. This year’s session will include special guest presentations, breakfast and lunch, and a poster session with prizes. The Carolina Club will provide free parking coupons for attendees. Coupons will be provided onsite day of the event.

Agenda

8:30 am - Continental Breakfast

9:00 am - Welcome remarks by Dr. Dirk Dittmer, Professor of Micro. & Imm., Team Lead for Virology and Global Oncology, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

9:10 am - Dr. Paul Lieberman, Hilary Koprowski Endowed Professor and Program Leader, Gene Expression & Regulation Program, Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center, The Wistar Institute

“Viral Latency in Cancer: Mechanisms to Therapy”

Introduction by Dr. Blossom Damania, Boshamer Distinguished Professor of Micro. & Imm, Vice Dean for Research Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

10:10 am - Dr. Denise Galloway, Paul Stephanus Memorial Endowed Chair, Professor and Scientific Director of the Pathogen-Associated Malignancies Integrated Res. Center, The Fred Hutch Cancer Center

“Where’s ALTO?”

Introduction by Dr. Cary Moody, Associate Professor of Micro. & Imm., Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

11:10 am - Dr. Eric Johannsen, Associate Professor of Medicine, McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research, University of Madison, Wisconsin

“Integrating Epstein-Barr Virus Oncogenes into DLBCL Genetics”

Introduction by Dr. Micah Luftig, Professor and Vice-Chair Dept. Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University

12:10 - 1:30 pm - Lunch

1:30 - 2:45 pm - POSTER SESSION with coffee and desserts

2:45 pm - Prizes and closing remarks

3:00 pm - Adjourn

Register for the symposium.

Register by November 27th for the 2023 Inter-CFAR Women and HIV Symposium



December 6-7, 2023 | San Francisco, CA

Registration is open for the 2023 Inter-CFAR Women and HIV Symposium is open. There will be no registration fee. Register by November 27th.

The Symposium will feature three sessions on the following topics, as well as two networking lunches and an NIH Research Priorities and Listening Session:

• Reproductive Health and HIV: From Policy to Practice
• ​Speakers include: Judy Levinson, Elizabeth Lowenthal, and a patient perspective
• Antiretroviral Therapy and Metabolism in the Era of INSTIs: Sex and Gender Differences
• ​Speakers include: Cecile Lahiri, Amanda Willig, Julie Dumond
• Aging with HIV across the Gender Spectrum
• ​Speakers include: Denise Russo, Peter Hunt, Tonia Poteat, Jordan Lake

View the agenda for the symposium.

Learn more and register for the symposium.

Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology Pilot Project Applications

The Duke Center for Human Systems Immunology (CHSI) is proud to announce that we are now accepting proposals for pilot projects! Through this RFP, CHSI will support projects aimed at securing future independent funding in cross-cutting research areas within immunology, with a preference for those incorporating computational biology. This RFP encourages submissions from new investigators and collaborations across Duke, emphasizing trans-disciplinary partnerships. Up to three (3) annual Pilot Awards, each with a maximum $20,000 direct cost funding, are available.

Letters of intent were due by November 1st, and full proposals are due by December 1, 2023. Eligibility extends to faculty of all ranks and post-doctoral/clinical fellows, with specific criteria for each group. The award period is limited to 12 months or less, with the projected award date of January 15, 2024.

Please click the links below to learn more and access the application guidelines and material:

• 2023 CHSI Request For Proposal and Application Guidelines
• Proposal Coversheet and Checklist 

Learn more and read the RFP.

ATN Scholars Program Applications due November 30

The U.S. Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV Interventions (ATN) Scholars Program seeks to increase opportunities for scientists from groups under-represented in HIV research to provide scholars with the knowledge, skills and connections to further their careers as independent investigators in the adolescent HIV research field.

Applications for scholars are now open at Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV Interventions (ATN) Scholars Program and are due on Monday, November 30, 2023.

For questions about eligibility, study protocols, current ATN mentors or the application process please contact Dr. Audrey Pettifor at ATNscholars@unc.edu.

Learn more about the program.

RAMP Scholar Grant Applications open for BIPOC Medical Students

Seeking African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander medical students interested in HIV vaccine research.

The development of a safe and effective HIV vaccine is one of the greatest biomedical research challenges of our time. The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) is now accepting applications for Research and Mentorship Program (RAMP) Scholar Grants to attract Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC) medical students who want to make a difference in their communities and contribute to the development of an effective HIV vaccine.

Program Highlights

• 8 -10 week or 9 -12-month research projects in the areas of clinical, laboratory, or social-behavioral research
• Structured mentorship by HVTN investigator(s)
• Travel to an HIV Vaccine Clinical Research Site in the US or abroad
• Attendance at an HVTN Full Group Meeting
• Oral and poster presentations and potential for publication
• Opportunity to return as a RAMP Alumni

Program Resources

• Up to $20,000 for short-term projects (8-10-weeks)
• Up to $70,000 for long-term projects (9-12 months)
• Funding includes salary, materials, and travel
• Career mentoring and access to HIV vaccine research expertise
• Training webinars through the course of the year and a professional development workshop at the conclusion of the program
• Professional development funds for courses and non-HVTN conferences

Application deadline: Tuesday, January 2, 2024  

Learn more on the CFAR website.

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