On August 14th, 2014, the Los Angeles Women’s HIV/AIDS Task Force held their 8th Annual HIV Treatment Summit and Health Resource Fair at the California Endowment, in downtown Los Angeles. The summit began with opening remarks from Mario Perez, MPH, Director of the Los Angeles County Division of HIV and STD Programs, and keynote presentation from Gail E. Wyatt, PhD, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. The event was attend by over 220 HIV positive women, advocates, service providers, and other community members.

Other highlights of the event featured Jordan Lake, MD and Danielle Campbell, MPH, who presented on the importance of participation in clinical trials and why research is important. Also, Nina Harawa, PhD, a core investigator on the CHIPTS Policy Core, led an interactive session exploring the relationship between women and their men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) partners. Kara Chew, MD, a physician at the UCLA CARE Center, also presented on the newest treatments for Hepatitis C and on the transmission and effects of the virus itself.

The event was sponsored by the Magic Johnson Foundation. Among the community partners and supporters of the event included Venice Family Clinic/Common Ground, East LA Women’s Center, UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine (CBAM), UCLA Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services (CHIPTS), UCLA CARE Center, Charles Drew University, JWCH Institute, Special Services for Groups/APAIT, and many others.