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OARAC Meeting: Thursday, June 25, 2026

NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH  
OFFICE OF AIDS RESEARCH  
72nd Meeting of the 
Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council
June 25, 2026
NIH Videocast Link | 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET

12:00 PMWelcome & Introductions 
Melissa Herrera, M.P.H., OARAC Executive Secretary, Public Health Analyst, Office of AIDS Research, NIH
Luis Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil., OARAC Chairperson, Executive Vice President and Director, HIV Cure & Viral Diseases Center, The Wistar Institute
12:15 PMReport: Office of AIDS Research Director 
Geri R. Donenberg, Ph.D., Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director, Office of AIDS Research, NIH
12:45 PMFY 2026-2030 NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research: Status Update and Next Steps
Rachel Anderson, Ph.D., Senior Policy Advisor and Chief of Staff, Office of AIDS Research, NIH 
1:00 PMECI in HIV Updates and Discussion 
OAR ECI in HIV Working Group Overview and Updates
Elisabet (“Lis”) Caler, Ph.D., Health Scientist Administrator, Office of AIDS Research, NIH 
NIH Training Grants Overview and Updates
Ericka Boone, Ph.D., Acting Director, Division of Biomedical Research Workforce, NIH
Discussion
2:00 PMFY25 NIH HIV Funding Overview
Leslie Marshall, Ph.D., Acting Deputy Director, Office of AIDS Research, NIH 
2:15 PMBreak
2:30 PMNIH Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL): A Platform for Advancing MAHA Strategic Priorities
Maliha Ilias, Ph.D., Branch Chief, Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH
George Mensah, M.D., Director, Center for Translation Research and Implementation Science (CTRIS), Senior Advisor, Office of Director, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH
3:00 PMIt Takes All of Us: Partnering Science and Community for the Cure We All Need
Dázon Dixon Diallo, D.H.L., M.P.H., Founder/President, SisterLove
Mirko Paiardini, Ph.D., Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine; Chief, Division of Microbiology & Immunology, Emory National Primate Research Center; Program Director, ERASE HIV, Martin Delaney Collaboratory for HIV Cure Research
3:30 PMBreak
3:45 PMUpdates: NIH Advisory Council Representatives
National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse (NACDA)
Vasundhara Varthakavi, D.V.M., Ph.D., Acting Director, HIV Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH
National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC)
Gregory Greenwood, Ph.D., M.P.H., Acting Director, Division of AIDS Research, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
4:05 PMUpdates: HIV Clinical Guidelines Working Groups of OARAC
HHS 2026 Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Pediatric HIV Infection 
Lisa Abuogi, M.D., M.Sc., Professor, Department of Pediatrics University of Colorado; Medical Director, CHIP Prevention Program; Co-Director, CHIP Perinatal HIV Program; Senior Investigator, Center for Global Health
4:15 PMPublic Comment | Closing Remarks | Adjournment
Melissa Herrera, M.P.H.
Luis Montaner, D.V.M., D.Phil.

This page last reviewed on June 18, 2026