WRI Members

Members of the WRI serve a three-year term and are chosen based on their expertise and knowledge. Our members include HIV/AIDS thoughtleaders in clinical care, HIV research, academia, advocacy, policy, government, the pharmaceutical industry, and women living with HIV. All WRI members donate their time and expertise to this initiative without compensation. As part of their membership, they commit to taking what they’ve learned at the annual meetings back to their institutions, thereby exponentially expanding the reach of the information shared and created at these meetings.

Rowena Johnston, PhD

As vice president and director of research at amfAR, Rowena Johnston is responsible for overseeing the Foundation’s pioneering research program, determining the Foundation’s research priorities, evaluating and analyzing the program's direction, conducting cure-related research and serving as a liaison between the scientific community and other communities.

Jennifer Kates, PhD*

Jen Kates is vice president and director of global health and HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation, where she oversees the Foundation’s policy analysis and research focused on the U.S. government’s role in global health and on the global and domestic HIV epidemics.

Naina Khanna

Naina Khanna is executive director for Positive Women's Network-USA, a national organization that prepares and supports women living with HIV to be involved in all levels of policy and decision-making by: eliminating stigma, building leadership, mobilizing advocates, and changing policy.

Edward Machtinger, MD

Edward Machtinger is a professor of medicine and director of the Women’s HIV Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

Krista Martel*

Krista Heitzman Martel joined The Well Project in 2009 and has overseen the expansion of The Well Project's online resources including the web portal, social media initiatives, the A Girl Like Me blog, and its mobile application.

Tonia Poteat, MMSc, PA-C, MPH, PhD

Tonia Poteat has been involved in the fight against AIDS since 1989 when she began volunteering at an AIDS service organization while in college. She is a certified HIV Specialist by the American Academy of HIV Medicine.

Linda H. Scruggs

Linda Scruggs is the founding director of Ribbon Consulting Group, where along with their members, they provide organizational consulting services to community based organizations, heath departments and hospitals to increase their ability to support and promote healthy communities.

Kathleen E. Squires, MD

Kathleen Squires joined the global center of scientific affairs in Merck Research Laboratories as the global director of scientific affairs (GDSA) for HIV in August, 2017.

Fulvia Veronese, PhD*

Fulvia Veronese is the assistant director for Translational Research and the Preclinical Team leader for HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Prevention Science Program of the Division of AIDS.