Dawn Averitt began working in the HIV/AIDS arena in 1993, after being diagnosed with HIV in 1988. In addition to being the mother of three daughters, she has founded two non-profit organizations, WISE (Women's Information Service and Exchange) in 1995 and The Well Project in 2002, to improve the lives of women living with HIV and AIDS. As a social justice advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS, Dawn also launched the WRI, which drives "more, better, faster" research in women and has been responsible for many notable achievements such as facilitating the GRACE Study, building network collaborations, guiding FDA labeling decisions, and shaping research and policy priorities at the NIH. In the past 30+ years, she has developed programs to increase awareness, accelerate testing, provide access to treatment, disseminate information and expand clinical trials.
Dawn currently serves on the scientific planning committee for the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) and has served on numerous board and panels including as a member of the Perinatal HIV Guidelines Committee from 2007-2012, the Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC) from 2008-2012, as well as served two terms on the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) from 2010-2015 during the Obama administration.
