There are 6,500 or so Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) participants at the 2024 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment. By the numbers, that's double compared to the 2006 Ryan White Conference, one of the first held by HRSA. Here are more numbers:
- 160 presentations on topics that range from community engagement to aging and HIV to housing to long-acting antiretroviral therapy.
- 130 poster sessions.
- 43 exhibitors.
Speakers and moderators are from HRSA and all RWHAP Parts at state and local levels, along with technical assistance projects funded by HRSA.
Keeping with the theme of counting, by far, the word "quality" comes up the most in the program agenda. Other contenders include "housing," "planning", "best practices," and "consumers" or "patients" and all favored variations of the descriptor. On the acronym front, EHE (Ending the HIV Epidemic) leads the pack, followed closely by AETC. Then there are all the terms describing delivery of HIV care: tailored services for an aging population, rapid ART, long-acting injectables, STI, case management, dental/oral. The list goes on.
Speaking of aging, one of the first sessions of Day One is the Aging and HIV Institute 101: Accessing Community Resources for People with HIV 50 Years and Older (4:30, Cherry Blossom Room). Take a look at HRSA's new SPNS Aging with HIV Initiative, which just launched a Speakers Bureau and One-on-One Mentorship Program.
Conversations with the Feds
The Day One plenary features federal representatives from various HHS agencies. Tune in for HIV.gov's streaming conversations on August 20, featuring:
- 11:15-11:30am - HRSA's Dr. Laura Cheever will talk about Ryan White 2030.
- 11:35-11:50am Michael Kharfen and Kahlib Barton will talk about empowering community.
The conversations will be livestreamed on Facebook.com/HIVgov, Youtube.com/hivgov, and Linkedin.com/showcase/office-of-infectious-disease-and-hiv-aids-policy.
TA/Training Providers at the Conference
HRSA-funded TA and training projects are among the agencies presenting at the 2024 National Ryan White Conference. They are but a fraction of the sessions, which are predominantly being convened by Ryan White agencies in the field. Here's the line-up, by project:
- ADAP, Ending the HIV Epidemic, Medicare Changes Eligibility, Data Sharing, Housing, Engaging Stakeholders (NASTAD)
- Black Women First Initiative (UMass)
- Best Practices, Medicare, Planning, Status Neutral (JSI) - See Also Best Practices (JSI)
- Clinical Training (AIDS Education and Training Centers)
- Health Coverage (ACE TA Center)
- Quality Management (CQII)
- Rapid ART, Housing, Data, ADAP, Ending the HIV Epidemic, Social Media (CAI Global)
- Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs): How an Evidence-based Intervention Led to Groundbreaking STI Findings & an Award-winning Health Campaign (IHIP). Visit the poster authors, Wednesday, August 21 from 10:15am-10:45am, abstract ID#25467 (IHIP, AETC NCRC, Howard University)
- Stigma: ESCALATE Organizational Self-Assessment: A Tool to Target Stigma Reduction Efforts in Organizations, and Creating a Stigma-Free Health Care System Through the Use of Quality Improvement / ESCALATE para la Reducción del Estigma: un Enfoque Interseccional para el Estigma del VIH / ESCALATE Case Studies: Field Stories in Stigma Reduction (NMAC)
Access resources available from the roster of technical assistance and training partners, funded by HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau to support RWHAP agencies. You can also access their resources, and many others, from our new and improved search engine, with multiple filter options.
ICYMI: All Conference sessions will be archived in the coming months on National Ryan White Conference Archives.
Our History
Each daily conference blog, we will provide highlights from our history and past Ryan White Conferences. Today, we feature a span of over 20 years, beginning with Jeanne White Ginder, Ryan's mom, as she recollects life with AIDS in the 1980s, followed by highlights from the 2006 Ryan White Conference, one of the first.
Join Jeanne White-Ginder on Wednesday, August 21, at 11:00am ET in the Special Session: Ryan White’s Story, as Told by His Mother, Jeanne White-Ginder.
Jeanne White-Ginder on AIDS Discrimination
"This could be a battle. He said, let's go for it." In this clip, Jeanne White summarized her family's experiences with AIDS Discrimination in the 1980s in a virtual session from the 2022 Ryan White Conference. Watch the full interview.
Looking Back at Ryan White Conferences
How many Ryan White conferences have there been? It's a small mystery. There was that one held in the early to mid 1990s for Titles I and II (now RWHAP Parts A and B). Regardless, we have an inventory of 13 Ryan White Conferences, including the Clinical Conferences.
Our National Ryan White Conference Archives starts with the 2006 Ryan White Grantee Meeting and 9th Annual Clinical Update, which marked 15 years of the Ryan White program. There were 2,300 attendees, 46% of whom were attending for the first time, according to the evaluation report from the meeting.
Here's the 2006 opening plenary, from the HRSA YouTube Channel.
Past Conference Themes
Ryan White Conferences over the decades have varied in their focus, but, generally, touch upon community, innovation, and collaboration.
2006: The First Conference
2010: 20 Years