In 2026, The Well Project's Women's Research Initiative on HIV/AIDS (WRI) is focusing our programming on "Aging with HIV since Birth: The Journey of Women Lifetime Survivors" in response to the reality that the unique needs and experiences of Lifetime Survivors/Dandelions (individuals who acquired HIV perinatally or early in life) remain largely unseen and unaddressed by HIV research.
This year's programming includes three webinars, which we are excited to share with you here. All three were moderated by The Well Project's stakeholder liaison Bridgette Picou, LVN, ACLPN.
WRI 2026 #1 Webinar: Living With and Treating HIV for a Lifetime was led by Allison Agwu, MD, ScM, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Ezer Kang, PhD, Howard University; and Tia Morgan-Revere, MS, University of North Carolina and sought to address what we know about how living with HIV for a lifetime impacts overall health and unique considerations for lifetime treatment.
WRI 2026 #2 Webinar: Sexual and Reproductive Health among Women Lifetime Survivors was led by Kimberly Canady, BS, Conversations with Kim, The Well Project, Dandelions Inc.; Kate Powis, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health; and Amelia Stanton, PhD, Boston University, The Fenway Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital and focused on ways that living with HIV for a lifetime can affect experiences around sexual and reproductive health.
WRI 2026 #3 Webinar: Accelerated Aging and HIV Co-Morbidities Among Lifetime Survivors was led by Sahera Dirajlal-Fargo, DO, Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital, Northwestern University; Alora Gale, Patient Advocate; Christina Psaros, PhD, Massachusetts General Hospital; and Leah Rubin, PhD, Johns Hopkins University and described what we know about co-morbidities and aging affect lifetime survivors differently than other women living with HIV.
The WRI was established by The Well Project in 2003 as a multidisciplinary and multisectoral effort dedicated to identifying gaps in HIV prevention, treatment, and cure research and policy among women. Each year, we select a theme that allows us to identify opportunities to accelerate understanding of HIV in women and convene a think-tank style meeting around that topic area. The WRI's novel model situates women living with HIV, clinicians, policymakers, drug developers, scientists, and advocates as equal partners in a thoughtful process that articulates challenges and analyzes potential solutions. To learn more, please click here.
