Karine Dubé, DrPH, MPhil discussed recent advancements and findings in the socio-behavioral and human aspects of novel HIV and HBV therapeutics, and collaborative work between UCSD and UCLA.
HIV-1 has evolved to be uniquely resistant to antibody neutralization, such that antibody responses fail to clear or control the virus. Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) limits HIV reservoir size and diversity and preserves immunity. We characterized the impact of acute and early ART initiation on the development of HIV-specific antibody responses. We found that acute ART initiation (prior to 60 days) prevented autologous neutralizing antibodies from developing before or on ART.
Abstract submission and registration are now open for the CHIPTS 2026 HIV Next Generation Conference on Thursday, February 5, 2026. The conference is free to attend and will be held in person at The California Endowment – 1000 Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012. We encourage abstracts on any of the sub-themes below to create a shared vision of priorities and partnerships to make transformational impacts on HIV prevention and treatment that are based upon CHIPTS’ four-level (behavioral, biomedical, technological, structural/policy) framework for HIV prevention and care.
CHIPTS is proud to announce our 2026 Mentored Pilot Grant Program for emerging and new investigators (ranging from Doctoral Students to Assistant Professors). Through this grant program, applicants will obtain individualized, mentored research from engaged and committed faculty mentor/sponsors while conducting a well-defined research project.
This presentation is on the Howard University’s differentiated service delivery (DSD-Plus) model which is an innovative approach that seeks to contribute to the national 2030 HIV epidemic control in Zambia. The DSD-Plus model is a treatment quality assurance program that ensures adherence, continuity in care(retention), viral load suppression and transition for sustainability. Through such interventions, Zambia is among the six countries to have reached the UNAIDS95-95-95 targets for 2025.
In this presentation, Dr. Barrington will first provide a summary of the context of HIV prevention and care for transgender women in the Dominican Republic. She will then describe her collaborative mixed methods research process to develop and test an intervention to improve HIV care and treatment outcomes and promote overall wellbeing among transwomen with HIV in Santo Domingo.
We model longitudinal trends in viral suppression before and after the transition to telehealth services during COVID-19 pandemic. The expected probability of viral suppression was not negatively impacted by tele-health adoption.
Panel will discuss the potential impact of California ballot propositions that passed and did not pass on the well-being of individuals and communities that are affected by HIV, with a focus on those related to the criminal legal system.
In Los Angeles County (LAC), we implemented a cluster detection and response (CDR) social network strategy (SNS) among HIV molecular clusters with the goal of addressing service gaps and bringing individuals into HIV prevention and care, preventing further HIV transmission. SNSs have strong evidence of effectively reaching populations who may not otherwise test. The Community Health Ambassador Program (CHAP) used this strategy to distribute HIV self-test kits among the social, sexual, and behavioral networks of communities who may be at increased risk for HIV.