The Well Project and the WRI use the term "women" to describe anyone who identifies as such across the gender spectrum.
On March 21-24, 2024, The Women's Research Initiative on HIV/AIDS (WRI), a program of The Well Project, convened a meeting focused on The Role of Policy in Access to HIV Research and Services Among Women Living with and Vulnerable to HIV. The meeting sought to examine the ways that law and policy affect health outcomes for women living with and vulnerable to HIV.
While HIV research and service provision in the US have always been affected by the policy environment, recent legal and policy changes are poised to have a particularly negative impact on women living with and vulnerable to HIV. This year's WRI convening brought together 35 multidisciplinary, multisectoral key stakeholders (see below) to address critical aspects and potential implications for women living with and vulnerable to HIV of laws and policies related to HIV criminalization; abortion; gender-affirming care; and affirmative action/diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming – and to make recommendations for mitigating their injurious effects. To learn more, please see the WRI 2024 Issue Brief: Implications of Federal and State Policy on HIV Research and Services for Women Living with and Vulnerable to HIV. Click here to view more photos from WRI 2024.
"Every one of these issues is rooted in surveillance and control, limiting who gets to decide what happens to their body and what options they have for their future." – Tiommi Luckett, Transgender Law Center
The combined impact of HIV criminalization, abortion restrictions, bans on gender-affirming care, and the elimination of affirmative action/DEI programming will have profound consequences for access to HIV and sexual and reproductive healthcare services and HIV research among women living with and vulnerable to HIV across the gender spectrum. They will also limit the ability of providers and scientists to conduct programming and research to advance the field. As many of these policies are already in effect, it is crucial to raise awareness about their potential implications and undertake collaborative efforts to mitigate their negative effects and optimize HIV research and care.
WRI 2024 Meeting Participants
| Allison Agwu, MD, ScM Johns Hopkins University |
Nancie Archin, PhD* University of North Carolina |
| Judith Auerbach, PhD* University of California San Francisco |
Dawn Averitt* The Well Project and WRI |
| Jacqueline Ayers, JD Planned Parenthood |
Kellan Baker, PhD, MPH, MA Whitman Walker |
| Cecilia Chung Transgender Law Center |
Jenna Conley The Well Project |
| Lindsey Dawson, MPP KFF |
Karine Dubé, DrPH UCSD School of Medicine |
| Nada Fadul, MD University of Nebraska Medical Center |
Olivia G. Ford The Well Project |
| Waru Gichane, PhD, MSPH University of California San Francisco |
Kaye Hayes, MPA Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy |
| Connie Johnson, MA Growing into Greatness |
Jennifer Kates, PhD* Kaiser Family Foundation |
| Kamaria Laffrey The Sero Project |
Aryah Lester Transgender Strategy Center |
| Tiommi Luckett, AA Transgender Law Center |
Leslie Marshall NIH Office of AIDS Research |
| Krista Martel The Well Project |
Marnina Miller, AA PWN-USA |
| Shani Mandisa Moore-O'Neal, JD Center for HIV Law and Policy |
Amaya Perez-Brumer, PhD University of Toronto |
| Bridgette Picou, LVN The Well Project |
Tonia Poteat, PhD, MPH, PA-C University of North Carolina |
| Catalina Ramirez, MPH, MHA Universty of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Laramie Smith, PhD University of California San Diego |
| Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH Harvard Kennedy School |
Celeste Watkins-Hayes University of Michigan |
| Andrea Weddle, MSW* HIV Medicine Association |
Helen Zimba, BS The Afiya Center |
*2024 WRI Advisory Board Member
The WRI 2024 convening received sponsorship support or grants from Gilead, Merck, and ViiV Healthcare.
