HANC Newsletter | November 2023
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The Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination (HANC) is located at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA. We acknowledge the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Duwamish, Puyallup, Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations.
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Join HANC in Honoring Progress on World AIDS Day, December 1st
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#WorldAIDSDay is fast approaching!
On December 1, 2023, we will mark the 35th anniversary of World AIDS Day, an important milestone for reflecting on advancements in HIV/AIDS research, with a particular emphasis on the crucial role of clinical trials. The Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination (HANC) takes this moment to honor the collective efforts of individuals and groups across the globe who have contributed to this impactful and transformative work, and to recognize their continued dedication to this work. Learn more about World AIDS Day, access guidance on organizing a World AIDS Day event, and find resources to raise awareness about World AIDS Day
here.
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HANC Highlights Cross-Network Achievements at IMPAACT 2023
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The
2023 International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) Annual Network Meeting was held in Washington DC from the 22nd to the 27th of October, marking the conclusion of this year's annual meetings for the four DAIDS HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Networks. Russell Campbell and Kathleen Pescasio were in attendance as representatives HANC. At the conference, Russell Campbell, HANC Director, gave an interactive presentation highlighting HANC's areas of coordination, HANC's resources in place to support IMPAACT, with special attention on the various training materials developed by the Legacy Project and Community Partners and upcoming projects. HANC looks forward to continued engagement and participation at the annual network meetings for ACTG, HPTN, HVTN and IMPAACT in 2024.
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Orbit Clanton Reflects on Tenure and Impact as GCAB Co-Chair in Enlightening Interview
Orbit Clanton, the departing Co-Chair of the ACTG Global Community Advisory Board (GCAB), offers valuable insights into his tenure in a recent interview. Highlighting key achievements and the evolution of community involvement in HIV research, Orbit's interview captures the essence of his impactful role and vision for the future of the ACTG network. Read the interview in it's entirety
here.
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HVTN Broadens Commitment to Future HIV Prevention Researchers with Mentorship Program Expansion
The HIV Vaccine Trials Network, in collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, is investing in a generation of young HIV prevention researchers by providing African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific Islander medical students with opportunities to conduct independent research while receiving mentoring, project and salary funding, training, and professional development opportunities.
This year we have expanded our eligibility criteria to include students attending international medical school where medical students and graduates are eligible to apply for certification in the US from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). International medical students also need to meet the other program eligibility requirements. Our expanded eligibility requirements can be accessed
here.
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HVTN Welcomes Maribel Lopez-Garcia to Enhance Social & Behavioral Sciences and Community Engagement Efforts
We are very pleased to announce that Maribel Lopez-Garcia will be joining HVTN Core as a Program Assistant in the Social & Behavioral Sciences and Community Engagement Unit.
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Maribel’s most recent experience was working as a Talent Coordinator at Saatchi & Saatchi. There she assisted the Human Resources department with scheduling interviews, tracking employee training, and onboarding new hires. Before Maribel’s tenure at Saatchi & Saatchi, she worked at FHCC in Cancer Prevention as a Program Assistant in the Rural Populations program. Maribel managed participant recruitment documentation, tracked participant data, assisted with onboarding and offboarding interns, and supported the program with research study logistics. We are pleased that Maribel has returned to the Hutch!
Maribel attended Washington State University where she earned her degree in Business Administration in Finance and Human Resource Management. Outside of work, Maribel enjoys visiting gardens, checking out new coffee shops, and trying new restaurants.
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2023 HPTN Africa Regional Meeting Highlights
HPTN leadership, investigators, research site staff, community advocates, and network affiliates recently convened in Cape Town, South Africa, for the 2023 HPTN Africa Regional Meeting from September 27-29. Three days of engaging presentations and workshops inspired regionally focused research proposals within current focus areas strengthened network collaboration and highlighted practical steps to enhance the execution of research operations at network sites in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.
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Morning
plenaries included updates from regional stakeholders on existing HIV prevention research initiatives, lessons learned from implementation projects, and future pathways to ending the global HIV epidemic. A robust panel discussion among voices from the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the South Africa National Department of Health highlighted the importance of collaboration and community involvement to achieve HIV prevention goals in the region. Subject matter experts and HPTN Leadership and Operations staff facilitated science generation breakouts to articulate new interventions that may lead to research concepts. Clinical research site staff participated in knowledge-sharing exercises to highlight important lessons learned in study implementation, operational best practices, and
collaborative problem-solving. The meeting concluded with presentations on innovative prevention products, using effective public health communication in media, and highlighting the work of HPTN International Scholars in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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2024 HPTN Annual Meeting Announced
The 2024 HPTN Annual Meeting is scheduled to take place at the JW Marriott on June 14-18, 2024, in Washington, D.C. We are planning for an in-person meeting with a virtual participation option for those unable or who choose not to attend in person. The Annual Meeting will feature several plenaries, presentations, and discussions regarding HIV prevention research and interactive question and answer sessions.
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IMPAACT Showcases Research Progress and Collaboration at Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
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The
IMPAACT Network held its Annual Meeting from 22-27 October in Washington, D.C. The hybrid event brought together IMPAACT Network leadership, investigators, research site staff, community advocates, NIH sponsors, pharmaceutical company collaborators, and other partners to discuss the network's scientific agenda and explore innovative approaches to future research. Representing 47 research sites across 12 countries, nearly 1,000 people attended in person or virtually. The six-day meeting was filled with engaging presentations, collaborative sessions, and networking activities, providing an opportunity to share lessons learned, inspire implementation strategies, and sharpen operational best practices.
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Plenary recordings, presentations, and photos from the meeting are available on the IMPAACT website. The 2024 IMPAACT Annual Meeting takes place 22-27 September 2024 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.
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Behavioral and Social Sciences
Greg Davis, HANC Project Manager
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Financial Disclosure Working Group: HANC would like to thank the Financial Disclosure Working Group for leading another successful annual solicitation. This was the first year using Convey as the disclosure collection system. Things went smoothly considering such a major change.
Behavioral Science Consultative Group: The Behavioral Science Consultative Group is discussing a potential project for 2024. The BSCG will begin looking at potential meeting dates for its annual face-to-face meeting over the next month or two.
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Community Coordination
Greg Davis, HANC Project Manager
Russell Campbell, HANC Director
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Community Partners:
Community Partners finalized its work plan for 2024. The group restructured for the upcoming year by eliminating some of the previous working groups. To ensure that work is still being done, the group will convene ad-hoc working groups to complete CP’s goals and objectives for 2024. Community Partner’s mentorship program, the Community Volunteers Mentorship Programme (CVMP), will be piloted in South Africa in the upcoming months. Community Partners would like to welcome new member, Vivian Moremi, who will be representing the ACTG. Vivian will be replacing Jan Kosmyna. HANC thanks Jan for her many valuable contributions to Community Partners over the years.
TB Vaccine Community Engagement Strategy WG: The TB Vaccine Community Engagement Strategy WG had a productive October meeting with several follow-up action items to complete. The group looks forward to a busy 2024. One project the group aims to complete in the upcoming months is to develop the TB Participant Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.
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Cross-Network Coordination
Kathleen Pescasio, HANC Cross-Network Project Manager
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The Cross-Network Protocol Deviation Working Group (PDWG) has completed the review and sign-off of the Protocol Deviation Reporting Guide. The group is working on sharing the updated guidelines and determining next steps for the management and processing of protocol deviations.
The Communications Working Group (CWG) shared network engagements at recent conferences and plans for upcoming annual meetings. The group continues to discuss potential communications tools and new collaborative strategies.
The Cross-Network Site Coordinators Working Group (SCWG) continues to revise the Onboarding/Training Checklist, which will be used as a resource for new Site Coordinators at DAIDS-sponsored clinical trial sites. The group also discussed strategies for improving community engagement as well as site staff trainings.
The Data Management Center Working Group (DMCWG) continues to discuss current ongoing efforts to switch to direct data entry, and experiences with changes to survey software tools and study enrollment systems.
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Laboratory Coordination
Tyler Brown, HANC Laboratory Project Manager
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The Lab Technologists SOP Working Group met in October to revise the Guidelines for Shipping and Receiving Biological Substance, Category B Specimens. An updated version of this SOP is scheduled to be published by the end of November.
In October, the Laboratory Focus Group (LFG) held a meeting with the DAIDS Clinical Laboratory Oversight Team (DCLOT) to discuss the potential impacts and necessary operational adjustments for the Network Laboratory Centers in preparation for a possible U.S. federal government shutdown.
In October, the Bioanalytical Revision Assay Group (BRAG) held a meeting to review and publish an updated iteration of the CPQA Bioanalytical Method Validation (BMV) Guidelines.
A new version of the CPQA BMV Guidelines is slated for release later this fall.
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The Legacy Project
Brian Minalga, HANC Deputy Director
Gabriella Olague, HANC Project Coordinator
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10/13: DAIDS issued a memorandum to leadership across the 4 Networks to formalize the process of documenting completion of the Representative Studies Rubric
(RSR) questionnaire. Starting December 15, 2023, protocol teams will be required to submit the completed RSR questionnaire for every study at the time of the final DAIDS scientific review. This is a major step toward ensuring inclusion and representation in research across the 4 Networks. Kudos to all 4 Networks for integrating the RSR into practice, and congratulations to the Legacy Project for initiating this systemic change!
10/16: The Latinx Caucus presented, “Language Access and Justice initiative” at the HVTN Regional Conference in Seattle. 44 people attended.
10/26: The Be the Generation website has been updated to allow new viewers to subscribe to the quarterly newsletter directly from our website rather than having to reach out to the Legacy Project team directly! We are hoping this new feature will increase our subscribers and viewership.
10/26: The Latinx Caucus participated in, “El rol de la justicia del lenguaje en detener la epidemia del VIH,” an NMAC Spanish-language social media event presenting Language Access and Justice initiative developments.
11/09: The WHRC completed our 2024 Work plan and are working towards publishing our manuscript Still We Rise: Forging a Women Centered Research Paradigm and are mapping out our 2024 year.
- 11 a.m. Pacific / 2 p.m. Eastern on behalf of the DAIDS Cross-Network Transgender & Gender-Diverse Working Group. Register here!
- For the Science Facilitation Department at FHI 360 (closed meeting).
New Investigators Working Group: HVTN Research and Mentorship Program
(RAMP) is Seeking African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander medical students interested in HIV vaccine research. Applications are due by 5:00pm PST on January 02, 2024.
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Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit (Seattle, USA)
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ACTG Annual Network Meeting (Washington DC, USA)
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HPTN Annual Network Meeting (Washington DC, USA)
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IMPAACT Annual Network Meeting (Arlington, USA)
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