Highlights: January 2026 NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council Meeting

Accelerating HIV implementation science, sustaining clinical practice guidelines, strengthening the HIV research workforce

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC) convened its 70th meeting virtually on January 29.

OARAC provides advice to the NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR) on the planning, coordination, and evaluation of research and other HIV-related activities conducted or supported by NIH.

Key meeting highlights included a comprehensive discussion of a proposed NIH-wide HIV implementation science (IS) strategy to accelerate progress toward achieving epidemic control, updates on sustaining and optimizing federally supported HIV clinical practice guidelines, a review of HIV clinical trials networks, and a focused discussion on mentorship and workforce development for early career investigators (ECIs). The meeting also featured updates from NIH Advisory Council representatives and an HIV clinical guidelines panel that is a working group of OARAC.

Report: Office of AIDS Research Director

• Geri R. Donenberg, Ph.D., Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director, OAR, NIH 

Dr. Donenberg opened her report by acknowledging the retirement of Paul Gaist, Ph.D., M.P.H., celebrating his four decades of federal service and foundational contributions to behavioral and social science research within the NIH HIV portfolio.

She announced that NIH leadership has approved the continuation of the federal HIV clinical practice guidelines within NIH, with ongoing management by OAR. Guideline panels, as OARAC working groups, will remain responsible for continual updates of scientific. Going forward, OAR will work with panels to highlight knowledge gaps that can inform future research priorities.

Dr. Donenberg provided an overview of recent NIH policy changes relevant to the HIV research community, including updates to foreign policy awards, prioritization of human-based research, consolidation of funding opportunities with increased use of Highlighted Topics, peer review centralization, and alignment of HIV application receipt dates with standard NIH cycles beginning in 2027.

She summarized OAR engagement activities, including participation at the U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) 2025, other national and international meetings and a series of workshops and listening sessions for ECIs, aiming to address workforce concerns, provide clarity on evolving NIH policies, and strengthen mentorship across career stages.

Dr. Donenberg also highlighted ongoing development of the FY 2026-2030 NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research. The Plan emphasizes comprehensive, multidisciplinary research; population-focused health disparities research; and multisectoral partnerships to advance basic, clinical, and IS toward epidemic control.

Update: HIV Clinical Trials Network External Review

• Leslie Marshall, Ph.D., Acting Deputy Director, OAR, NIH

Dr. Marshall presented an update on the external review of HIV clinical trials networks, including the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, HIV Prevention Trials Network, HIV Vaccine Trials Network, and International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network. The review, commissioned by the OAR Director, focuses on ensuring that the networks are optimally positioned to address emerging HIV research priorities, particularly IS and HIV-associated co-occurring conditions.

An ad hoc working group, chaired by Marguerita Lightfoot, Ph.D., includes scientific experts, IS specialists, community representatives, and federal implementation partners. The group will assess scientific priorities, network structure, coordination, capacity building, and community engagement, with recommendations expected to inform future network funding opportunities.

Update: HIV and Pharmacy Program

• Michael J. Stirratt, Ph.D., Program Officer and Senior Behavioral Scientist, Division of AIDS Research (DAR), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), NIH
• Geetanjali Bansal, Ph.D., Senior Science Advisor, OAR, NIH

Drs. Stirratt and Bansal provided an update on the NIH HIV and Pharmacy Program, highlighting pharmacies as trusted, accessible venues for expanding HIV prevention and treatment services. A portfolio analysis revealed a limited number of pharmacy-centered HIV research projects over the past decade, prompting NIH to catalyze new research in this area.

They summarized outcomes from a recent NIH-led Request for Applications on advancing HIV service delivery through pharmacies and pharmacists. Eleven awards were issued across five NIH institutes, spanning HIV prevention, treatment, co-occurring conditions, and status-neutral approaches. Most projects use hybrid implementation-effectiveness designs, and a majority are led by first-time R01 investigators, underscoring the program’s dual impact on service innovation and workforce development.

HIV Implementation Science Strategy

• Matthew J. Memoli, M.D., M.S., Principal Deputy Director, NIH
• Geri R. Donenberg, Ph.D., Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director, OAR, NIH

Drs. Memoli and Donenberg outlined NIH’s strategic vision for expanding HIV IS to address persistent gaps in prevention and treatment despite the availability of effective tools. They described IS as essential to closing the gap between discovery and real-world impact, particularly for populations disproportionately affected by HIV.

Dr. Donenberg presented data showing that IS currently represents approximately 7% of the NIH HIV research portfolio, highlighting opportunities for growth. She introduced the Advancing Research in IS to End HIV (ARISE) initiative, a coordinated NIH effort to accelerate HIV implementation research, build workforce capacity, and strengthen collaboration with federal and community partners.

The discussion emphasized maintaining a balanced HIV research portfolio that continues to support basic, preclinical, and clinical research, while expanding IS to improve uptake, sustainability, and scale of evidence-based interventions.

Addressing Needs and Expanding Opportunities in HIV Early Career Investigator Mentorship

• Vasundhara Varthakavi, D.V.M., Ph.D., Acting Director, HIV Research Program, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), NIH (presenter)
• Susannah Allison, Ph.D., Program Officer and Training Director, NIMH, NIH (presenter)
• Gregory D. Kirk, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., Vice Dean for Research and Professor of Epidemiology, Medicine, and Oncology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (invited discussant)
• Jillian Pintye, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., Associate Professor, Global Health, and Associate Professor, Biobehavioral Nursing and Informatics, Department of Global Health, University of Washington (invited discussant)
• Elise Riley, Ph.D., M.P.H., Professor in Residence, Division of HIV, Infectious Disease and Global Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco (invited discussant)

Drs. Varthakavi and Allison provided an overview of NIH training and career development mechanisms supporting HIV researchers, including fellowships, mentored K awards, institutional training grants, and research education programs (R25). They highlighted data demonstrating the effectiveness of individual fellowships and mentored awards in fostering successful transitions to independent research careers. 

Invited discussants emphasized the importance of sustained mentorship infrastructure, protected time for mentors, cohort-based and peer mentoring models, and flexible funding mechanisms such as career development supplements. Participants also raised concerns about trainee compensation, institutional barriers, and the need to strengthen the pipeline from undergraduate training through senior faculty mentorship.

Updates and Next Meeting

• Vasundhara Varthakavi, D.V.M., Ph.D., Acting Director, HIV Research Program, NIDA
• Dianne Rausch, Ph.D., Director, DAR, NIMH, NIH
• Robert Eisinger, Ph.D., Acting Director, Division of AIDS, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
• Franklin Yates, M.D., M.A., Medical Officer, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH

NIH Advisory Council representatives provided updates on recently approved and forecasted funding concepts, including initiatives focused on IS, HIV and substance abuse, neuroHIV, stigma reduction, and structural biology. Dr. Yates presented updates from the Pediatric Opportunistic Infections Guidelines panel, highlighting extensive revisions completed in 2025 and planned updates for 2026 to ensure timely, evidence-based guidance.

Public comments emphasized the importance of sustaining federal HIV clinical practice guidelines, addressing aging with HIV, safeguarding access to prevention and treatment amid health coverage challenges, and maintaining a balanced NIH HIV research portfolio.

The full meeting is available on NIH VideoCast, and meeting minutes will be posted on the OAR website.

The next OARAC meeting will be on April 13. OARAC welcomes public comments via email to [email protected].