The 2025 CHIPTS HIV Next Generation Conference welcomed over 150 attendees from academic institutions, community-based organizations, health care institutions, and other organizations working to end the HIV epidemic at the California Endowment on Friday, January 31, 2025. The conference included engaging oral and poster presentations, lively discussions, and networking opportunities to support the next generation of HIV researchers and service providers.
CHIPTS Development Core Co-Director Dallas Swendeman, PhD, facilitated this year’s conference and provided a warm welcome to participants. CHIPTS Director Steve Shoptaw, PhD, followed with opening remarks setting the tone for an exciting conference. He echoed the conference’s goals with a powerful statement: “Today is to talk about science and solutions that helps our communities, and to use this conference as a way to link and work together.”
Jerry John Ouner, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Professor, University of California San Francisco, offered an engaging and insightful opening plenary exploring how water insecurity and extreme weather events such as droughts, precipitation anomalies, and floods may influence HIV treatment. He highlighted how these factors could affect ART adherence, viral load suppression, and the prevalence of opportunistic infections among people living with HIV.
Throughout the day, there were four sets of oral presentations with panel discussions. The first panel was moderated by CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core Affiliate Michael Li, PhD, and centered on projects aimed at improving treatment adherence and viral suppression. The second set of oral presentations moderated by CHIPTS Combination Prevention Core Scientist Laura Bogart, PhD, focused on linkage and retention among people living with HIV. CHIPTS Methods Core Director Sung-Jae Lee, PhD, moderated the third panel on HIV testing, prevention, and PrEP. The fourth panel moderated by CHIPTS Policy Impact Core Co-Director Ayako Miyashita Ochoa, JD, led a discussion on the impact of local California policies and ballots on communities affected by HIV. The conference further featured a fantastic group of poster presentations highlighting innovative research and evaluation projects to support efforts to end the HIV epidemic.
The projects, The Intersection of Place and Health: Neighborhood and Socio-Economic Determinants of Viral Suppression (oral) and Black Feminist Strategies in HIV and Mental Health Care: A Literature Review (poster) won attendee votes for favorite oral and poster presentations respectively. To close the conference, CHIPTS Development Core Director Norweeta Milburn, PhD, congratulated this year’s outstanding presenters and encouraged participants to continue their commitment to new ideas and collaborations as we work together to end the HIV epidemic.
A complete list of oral presentations with descriptions, PowerPoint slides, and photo highlights from the conference are provided below.
Check out our photo gallery of the conference on our Facebook page: https://tinyurl.com/pvcp7hbz
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Opening Plenary:
Jerry John Ouner, PhD, RN, FAAN, Associate Professor, University of California San Francisco
Presentation Title: Impact Of Water Insecurity and Extreme Weather Events on HIV Treatment Outcome
Presentation Summary: The presentation will focus on the influence of water insecurity and extreme weather events such as droughts, precipitation anomalies, and flood on HIV treatment. Dr. Ouner will highlight how water insecurity and extreme weather events affect adherence to antiretroviral therapy, viral load suppression and occurrences of opportunistic infection among people living with HIV.
Oral Panel 1 – Adherence and Viral Suppression:
1. Brendon Chau, MS
Presentation Title: Shifting from in-person to expanded telehealth delivery of medical care coordination for people with HIV: Impact on viral suppression
Presentation Summary: 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.
2. Stephen D. Ramos, PhD
Presentation Summary: We found that internalized heterosexism is indirectly associated with self-reported ART adherence, via adherence self-efficacy. This mediating effect is strongest among participants who showed hazardous alcohol use. This underscores a contextualized understanding of these associations among a sample of young Black sexual minority men with HIV.
3. Roxana Rezai, PhD
Presentation Title: The Intersection of Place and Health: Neighborhood and Socio-Economic Determinants of Viral Suppression
Presentation Summary: Despite the availability of resources such as Ryan White-funded clinics that offer free access to HIV healthcare, significant disparities in viral suppression rates exist. This study examines the association between neighborhood characteristics, socioeconomic factors, and viral suppression among people living with HIV in neighborhoods served by Ryan White-funded clinics in Southern California.
Oral Panel 2 – Linkage and Retention Among People Living with HIV:
1. Hollie David, MPH
Presentation Title: Evaluating Linkages to Care among UCLA Patients with Detectable HIV Viremia
Presentation Summary: This study examines barriers to engagement in the HIV care continuum, focusing on patients at UCLA Health with detectable viral loads. By analyzing patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and care engagement, the study identifies factors like frequent visits and adherence to ART as key to achieving virologic suppression. Results suggest that increased healthcare interactions and timely follow-ups are crucial for improving engagement and retention in care, emphasizing the need for continued outreach and support for individuals living with HIV.
2. Wanjiku Dyer, MD Candidate and Czarina Kate Igama, MSc
Presentation Summary: This presentation compares traditional Differentiated Service Delivery (DSD) models with the RiseUP! Enhanced Differentiated Service Delivery (EDSD) model for HIV care and treatment among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Sub-Saharan Africa. We analyze retention rates and medication adherence across various countries, highlighting the effectiveness of the RiseUP! model’s holistic, youth-friendly approach. The study emphasizes the importance of tailored, community-based interventions in improving HIV care outcomes for vulnerable populations.
3. Ariana Waters, BS
Presentation Title: Analyzing Complex Pathways Between Resilience, Health, and Well-Being in Kenyan Youth Aged 15-24 Living with HIV in Informal Settlements
Presentation Summary: We conducted a cross-sectional survey to examine various pathways of resilience among HIV-positive youth living within informal settlements outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Relationships between variables were modelled and evaluated using linear regression analysis and structural equational modelling. We identified unique pathways linking social support, adverse childhood experiences, and HIV stigma to general health and resilience. These results may provide valuable insights for developing targeted intervention strategies to improve treatment adherence and HIV management in this population.
Oral Panel 3 – Testing, Prevention, and PrEP:
1. Katherine Lewis, MPH
Presentation Title: Violence and Coercion among Sex Workers in India: Gender Differences and PrEP Implications
Presentation Summary: We examined the relationship between violence/coercion and PrEP acceptability among cisgender female sex workers and transgender sex workers in urban West Bengal, India. We found very high rates of violence and coercion among participants, particularly among transgender sex workers. We also found that the relationship between coercion/violence and PrEP willingness was conditional on gender.
2. Dillon Trujillo, MPH
Presentation Title: Identifying Preferences for a Conditional Cash Transfer to Increase PrEP Use among MSM of Color in Los Angeles County
Presentation Summary: This study examines how to optimize a conditional cash transfer (CCT) intervention to increase PrEP use among Black and Latinx men who have sex with men (MSM) in Los Angeles County. Findings from a discrete choice experiment reveal preferences for larger cash payments provided more frequently, with some variation in PrEP modality. These results highlight the potential of tailored CCT designs to improve PrEP uptake and advance national efforts to reduce new HIV transmissions among key populations.
3. Brian Valencia, MPH
Presentation Title: Community Health Ambassador Program (CHAP): Evaluating the Success of a CDR SNS Strategy in LAC
Presentation Summary: 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.
Oral Panel 4 – Impact of Policy on Research:
1. Nina T. Harawa, PhD, MPH and Charles Vignola, MPA and Michael Li, PhD
Presentation Title: Potential Implications of Key 2024 California Ballot Measures
Presentation Summary: 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.