This year’s World AIDS Day theme, “Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress,” is a call to action to step up our efforts to end the HIV epidemic. Yet this year, World AIDS Day, which falls annually on December 1st, carries a profound sense of urgency as we face the possibility of policies that could reverse our hard-fought gains.

President-elect Donald Trump has officially nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Known for his controversial and unscientific stances on vaccines and public health, Kennedy’s nomination raises serious concerns. Among them is his history of promoting discredited theories about HIV, including questioning whether HIV is the sole cause of AIDS—a position long debunked by the scientific community. In his 2021 book, The Real Anthony Fauci, Kennedy also suggested that recreational drug use, such as “poppers,” played a significant role in the HIV epidemic, a claim widely dismissed by experts. These views not only undermine decades of progress but also risk fueling HIV-related stigma, misinformation, and disinformation at a time when leadership rooted in science and equity is more critical than ever.

Progress to end the U.S. HIV epidemic has been driven by persistent grassroots activism, a vibrant force since the epidemic’s earliest days, and pioneering scientific advancements in HIV treatment and prevention coupled with government investments, most recently, the federal Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, launched in 2019 during the last Trump administration. However, these hard-won gains remain fragile. Black and Latinx people, particularly cisgender and transgender women and men who have sex with men, continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV and face systemic barriers to care due to structural racism and discrimination. The recent rise in new HIV diagnoses among Latinos highlights the epidemic’s disproportionate impact on racially minoritized communities.

We cannot take our foot off the gas as we work towards the ambitious yet attainable goal of ending the HIV epidemic.

Recommitting to Science and Health Education

Kennedy’s potential leadership of HHS is deeply concerning. His history of spreading vaccine disinformation and promoting pseudoscientific theories about HIV undermines public trust in science and could erode decades of progress in HIV and public health more broadly. Investing in community-based organizations and community leaders who can be trusted messengers to deliver accurate, science-based health education is critical to counteract this. National professional organizations in science, health care, and public health must unify in their advocacy for equity-centered, evidence-based policies. We are already seeing new advocacy coalitions in this space, such as Defending Public Health, emerge to meet this call to action. At the same time, media platforms must do their due diligence to amplify credible voices to combat misinformation and disinformation actively.

Applying a “Health Equity in All Policies” Approach

The end of the HIV epidemic cannot be achieved by focusing solely on healthcare systems; it requires addressing the structural and social determinants of health that drive HIV-related inequities. This approach, often referred to as “health in all policies,” must be expanded into “health equity in all policies,” ensuring that equity is prioritized in all areas of policymaking. For communities most affected by HIV—Black and Latinx people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and those living in poverty—policies governing housing, education, employment, and the criminal legal system play a critical role in shaping health outcomes. For example, stable and affordable housing is a proven intervention for improving outcomes for people living with HIV. Yet, many states lack sufficient affordable housing, leaving people with and affected by HIV vulnerable to housing insecurity. Grassroots organizations, particularly those led by and serving Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ individuals, are critical in advocating for these changes. Their insights and lived experiences ensure that policies are not only inclusive but also responsive to the unique needs of marginalized communities. By adopting health equity in all policies and amplifying the voices of those most affected, we can dismantle the structural barriers that have continued to fuel the HIV epidemic and its disproportionate impact.

Ensuring Access to HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis

Expanding access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) remains a cornerstone of efforts to end the HIV epidemic. Yet, access remains inequitable, with many Black and Latinx communities unable to access this highly effective HIV prevention strategy. PrEP4ALL’s proposal for a National PrEP Program offers a path forward, calling for federal funding for free or low-cost PrEP and support for local efforts to reach communities most in need. Recently, lenacapavir, a twice-yearly HIV prevention injection, demonstrated extremely high effectiveness in preventing HIV infection in clinical trials. This injectable could revolutionize HIV prevention for those who face barriers to daily pill regimens, offering improving long-term protection. However, once approved, policymakers and pharmaceutical companies must help ensure access to this potentially game-changing PrEP strategy.

Combatting Discriminatory Legislative Policies

Ending the HIV epidemic efforts intersects with broader struggles for racial and LGBTQ+ justice. Recent legislative trends, including efforts to ban gender-affirming care, criminalize HIV, and dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, threaten the health and well-being of marginalized communities. For example, Texas state legislators recently introduced 32 anti-trans bills for 2025, and Ohio advanced a bathroom bill targeting transgender students. These measures amplify stigma and create barriers to care, adversely impacting health outcomes. However, there are small wins that offer hope. Georgia’s 2022 reforms introduced an intent requirement for HIV-related prosecutions and reduced penalties, while Tennessee’s 2024 settlement allowed individuals previously convicted under HIV-related laws to apply for removal from the sex offender registry. These examples demonstrate that progress is possible through sustained advocacy and coalition-building.

Ending the HIV epidemic is not just a scientific imperative but a moral and political one. The progress we’ve made since the beginning of the HIV epidemic is tremendous. It can be sustained and advanced further if we remain committed to investing in trusted community organizations to deliver evidence-based health education and amplifying credible voices to counter misinformation, addressing structural inequities through a “health equity in all policies” approach, ensuring equitable access to effective, potent HIV prevention tools, and advocating against discriminatory policies that amplify HIV stigma and place already vulnerable communities at risk. Together, we can resist efforts to reverse decades of progress to make the end of the HIV epidemic a reality.

As a pre-med and computer science major who worked at AT&T and Lucent Technologies during my summers, I’ve always been interested in how technology can help to uproot health inequities. During my career, I’ve provided input into developing health information systems in health care and public health and have shepherded data equity and data governance initiatives in the HIV arena. While AI as a technology has been with us for several decades now (I remember taking my first AI course in the late 90s), it’s been amazing to see the rapid growth of generative AI recently.

A recent blog series by Stephen Norris highlights the increasingly prominent role of AI in health care including embedded biases, an example of how to subvert these biases, and AI’s potential for addressing health equity.

Recently, I learned of Zainab Garba-Sani’s A.C.C.E.S.S. AI model for community-centered AI implementation in health care. The model helps to ensure the voices, priorities, and needs of marginalized communities are centered in the design, development, implementation, and use of AI tools in health care and guide the process which is also informed by multiple stakeholders, or careholders, a term I prefer to say. This is an exciting model that will be a North Star for community-engaged AI research as we work to develop AI-enabled tools that help to eliminate health inequities.

The potential for GenAI to advance health equity is enormous. However, we need funders to invest in these efforts urgently given how fast AI is evolving and the potential harm that could be incurred if we don’t get ahead of embedded biases in the technology.

The image for this blogpost is what Canva’s image AI generator created when prompted with “health equity” and “artificial intelligence”. It created a picture of Black people in white lab coats with tables walking outside in different directions. GenAI still has a way to go and the people who could be potentially most harmed by it need to be at the table to ensure its equitable and inclusive development.

This month, we celebrate Pride, Juneteenth, and National HIV Testing Day (NHTD).

At the intersection of these is recognizing the impact of the HIV epidemic on Black LGBTQIA+ communities in the United States. Black Same Gender Loving men and Black trans women continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV due to a multitude of social and structural factors both historical and ongoing.

NHTD (June 27th) is intended to raise awareness about HIV testing especially in communities most impacted by HIV.  To increase access to HIV testing, the CDC’s “Let’s Stop HIV Together” campaign launched “Together Take Me Home” to get free HIV self-tests delivered through the mail and into the hands of people and communities who need them most.

Click on this link to order your free HIV self-tests and/or share the link with your community members.

Health Justice’s founder and Executive Director, Dr. Oni Blackstock, spoke at Democracy Forward’s “Together for Democracy” in late February about legal efforts as well as efforts with organized medicine to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative within healthcare. Dr. Blackstock discussed the potentially devastating consequences of these efforts for healthcare workforce and health equity and called on health care institutions and professional health organizations to deepen their commitment to and investment in embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion within their institutional and organizational policies, practices, and culture.

Today marks the 35th anniversary of World AIDS Day (WAD). So many gains have been made since the first WAD and the start of the HIV epidemic – effective antiretroviral treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and improved quality of life and longer life expectancy for people living with HIV. However, our work continues as stark HIV-related inequities persist. This WAD’s theme is “Remember and Commit”. We celebrate and commemorate the lives of all those we have lost to HIV and commit to using all the tools at our disposal to end the epidemic.

One way to stop HIV is to get tested for HIV. The CDC’s “Let’s Stop HIV Together” launched an exciting initiative, Together TakeMeHome (TTMH), to get HIV self-tests delivered through the mail and into the hands of people who need them most. Get your free HIV self-test today by clicking on this link. 

Every day 18 New Yorkers die from preventable overdoses. 

In observance of International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD), Health Justice’s founder and Executive Director, Dr. Oni Blackstock, was invited by VOCAL-NY to speak at a press rally urging public officials to invest in systems of care, harm reduction, and social services. 

IOAD is the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose, remember without stigma those who have died from overdose, and acknowledge the grief of the family and friends left behind. 

Read Dr. Blackstock’s press rally remarks below:

A grandmother who is able to pick up her grandkids after school and take them for ice cream

A young man who is proud that he is able to hold down a job and support himself

A middle-aged woman excited to finally able to go on a cruise with her family

These are a few of my patients who – through access to comprehensive harm reduction services and medication-assisted treatment and other health and social services – are living full lives and thriving.

I am a primary care and HIV doctor.

I am also a member of New York Docs, a coalition of healthcare workers and advocates in the New York area working alongside our patients and communities to improve the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers.

I have prescribed buprenorphine, given out naloxone kits to my patients, carried a kit of my own, connected my patients to other harm reduction services, written scripts for new syringes for my patients who were using.

I understand intimately the costs to communities, to families, of losing their loved ones to something that is entirely preventable, an overdose.

As a health care provider and public health practitioner, I know that:

Harm reduction is public health

Overdose prevention is public health

It is a public health imperative that resources be invested into systems of care, systems of humane, person-centered, community-centered care.

We need resources put back into our communities, into funding comprehensive harm reduction services, into treatment for those who want it, into social services such as housing, outreach, and wrap-around services.

We need resources divested from systems of punishment and harm – such as policing and incarceration – that criminalize and stigmatize substance use.

This is one of the reasons that NY Docs has drafted a letter urging Gov Hochul to sign an executive order to authorize overdose prevention centers (OPCs) in communities across New York State that are experiencing high rates of fatal overdoses.

One person dies every 1.5 hours of an overdose in New York State and with Black, Indigenous, and Latinx NYers being disproportionately impacted.

Access to safe medically supervised settings to inject helps reduce HIV and hepatitis C transmission and other injection-related infections and most importantly reduces the risk of fatal overdose.

OPCs are gateways to other health care and social services and help to keep communities safe and healthy.

Each life taken due to an overdose is absolutely irreplaceable

It is a public health imperative, for each and everyone of us, especially our government officials, to do what we can to prevent overdoses.

By investing in systems of care and divesting from systems of harm, we will have more grandmothers who are able to pick up their grandkids after school and take them for ice cream young men who feel proud that they are able to support themselves middle aged women who feel excited to finally able to go on a cruise of a lifetime with her family

Not one more precious life taken due to a preventable overdose.

Thank you!