WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

11:00am – 3:30pm: INSTITUTES
1:00 – 4:00pm: HIV PCP INSTITUTE
1:00 – 5:00pm: HIV PNC INSTITUTE
4:00 – 5:30pm: TRACK SESSIONS

THURSDAY, MARCH 19

9:00 – 10:30am: PLENARY SESSION
10:45am – 12:15pm: TRACK SESSIONS
12:30 – 2:00pm: LUNCH PLENARY
2:15 – 3:45pm: TRACK SESSIONS
4:00 – 5:30pm: TRACK SESSIONS

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

9:00 – 10:30am: PLENARY SESSION
10:45am – 12:15pm: TRACK SESSIONS
12:30 – 2:00pm: LUNCH PLENARY

This schedule is preliminary and subject to change.

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Today

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for Drug User Health

    Successes in Diagnosis and Linkage Where HIV and Viral Hepatitis Testing Programming Occurs Within a Syringe Service Program (SSP)

    Studio A
    Drug User Health Track

    Queen City Harm Reduction (QCHR) is the only organization expressly centered around harm reduction principles and syringe access in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, where the city of Charlotte is based, and seeks to minimize the harms associated with substance use and other intersecting conditions such as sex work, justice involvement, and homelessness. QCHR proactively educates peers and the community on drug user health promoting prevention of infectious disease, overdose, and compassionate care.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for Drug User Health

    The Healing Room: Yoga and Other Alternative Healing Modalities as Tools for Harm Reduction

    Studio A
    Drug User Health Track

    This session explores the emerging evidence supporting yoga and other healing modalities as a complementary harm reduction tool, particularly in underserved or high-risk populations. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, community-based programs, and trauma-informed frameworks, it underscores alternative healing modalities potential to serve not as a replacement for clinical treatment but as an accessible, empowering adjunct that supports individual agency, healing, and long-term well-being.

  • Beyond the Clinic: How Holy Cross Health is Transforming LGBTQ+ Health Through Outreach and Advocacy

    Studio F
    LGBTQ Health Track

    Holy Cross Health in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is advancing health equity through a comprehensive, community-based approach to HIV prevention and care, STI and Hepatitis C screening, and LGBTQ+ health. Broward County remains one of the nation’s HIV epicenters, with 579 new diagnoses in 2022, far exceeding the national average. Despite this, 96.2 percent of people living with HIV in the county know their status, and 80.8 percent are linked to care within one month. Holy Cross Health’s initiatives, such as community outreach, HIV self-testing, and culturally competent education, are designed to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals who are disproportionately affected by these conditions. The program is led by community advocates and LGBTQ+ healthcare professionals who step beyond traditional clinical roles to engage directly with the community. This session will explore the program’s design, implementation, and measurable impact, offering a replicable model for other health systems.

  • LGBTQIA+ Health and Community Engagement in a Politically Charged Climate

    Studio F
    LGBTQ Health Track

    This presentation explores strategies for effective LGBTQIA+ health promotion and community engagement amid a shifting sociopolitical landscape. Drawing on recent case studies, grassroots initiatives, and community-led research, we examine the ways in which LGBTQIA+ individuals and organizations are responding to policy rollbacks and social hostility. We highlight inclusive health interventions, mutual aid networks, and coalition-building as mechanisms for advocacy and care.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for Drug User Health

    Breaking Barriers, Increasing Safety for Special Populations

    Potomac B
    Drug User Health Track

    In 2022 Victory Programs opened its doors to The Victory Connector, a new drop in space in the Mass and Cass neighborhood. A neighborhood that was already home to methadone clinics, Boston Medical Center (the city hospital), Harm Reduction Providers and two homeless shelters. What could Victory Programs do that was different and meeting an unmet need?

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    From Neglect to Respect: Ending the HIV Endemic with Affirmation

    Studio D
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionThis session explores how affirmation-based intervention models — grounded in cultural pride, self-preservation, and community affirmation — are essential to ending the HIV endemic. Using a community engagement and harm reduction framework, we discuss the historical roots of disconnection, and how strategic investments in culturally affirming outreach and education are critical. We offer models and approaches that center community affirmation, mental health support, and intergenerational healing as HIV prevention tools.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    Breaking Barriers in HIV Prevention: Advancing PrEP Research While Rebuilding Trust in Black Communities

    Studio D
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionThis presentation explores the evolution of HIV prevention through the perspective of a Black woman, Community Health Advocate, and clinical research participant deeply engaged in advancing PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) innovation. While biomedical advancements from daily oral PrEP to long acting injectables have expanded prevention options, Black communities remain underrepresented in research and disproportionately impacted by persistent barriers to access. Through a lived-experience narrative, this session examines how medical mistrust, historical trauma, and unequal power dynamics shape community attitudes toward clinical research and preventive care.

  • Enhancing Service Delivery by Improving Referral Completion Rates for SDOH Needs

    Potomac A
    LGBTQ Health Track

    Closing the loop on Social Determinants of Health ensures that referrals to supportive services such as housing, food and mental health are not only initiated but also completed, tracked, and resolved, This approach strengthens care coordination, reduces barriers to retention, and promotes health equity by addressing non-medical factors that impact overall well being.

  • From Position Paper to Advocacy: The Kentucky Nurses Association LGBTQ+ SNIPg (Special Nursing Interest Practice Group): Leadership Through Advocacy

    Potomac A
    LGBTQ Health Track

    As a nation, we had made great strides in protecting the basic rights of LGBTQ+ persons including their access to appropriate, quality care. For Kentucky LGBTQ+ persons, the passage of Kentucky SB 150 in 2023, progressively began the stripping away of these rights thus putting their well-being and even their lives at risk.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    PrEP, PEP & Pleasure: Tools of Sexual Liberation

    Studio D
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionThis interactive presentation explores the intersection of sexual pleasure, HIV prevention, and liberation for communities of color. The Science of Sexuality and Pleasure, it reframes PrEP and PEP not just as biomedical tools, but as instruments of sexual agency, protection, and empowerment. Drawing on the imagery of chains, whips, handcuffs, and doxycycline, we assert that protection and pleasure are not mutually exclusive, but deeply intertwined. Through storytelling, case-based dialogue, and visual metaphors, we invite attendees to challenge conventional narratives that separate safety from desire.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    Response to Syndemics

    Studio D
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionStayWell Health Center serves as a leading responder to the overlapping syndemics of HIV, hepatitis C, STIs, and social determinants of health in the Waterbury, Connecticut metro area. Through a status-neutral approach, StayWell ensures that all individuals—regardless of HIV status—are connected to comprehensive prevention or treatment services without stigma or delay.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Care and Treatment

    Bridging Systems: Integrating HIV and Aging Services to Address Behavioral Health and Social Isolation

    Potomac B
    HIV Care and Treatment Track

    Older adults living with HIV—especially Black gay men aged 50 and over—face compounding challenges including stigma, fragmented care, and under-resourced behavioral health services. This session highlights strategies from the Aging and HIV Institute (A&H), a California-based think tank dedicated to bridging HIV and aging service systems.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for Drug User Health

    Leading from the Body: A New Paradigm for Trauma-Informed Leadership

    Potomac B
    Drug User Health Track

    In today’s climate of burnout, fear, and fragmentation, leadership requires more than strategy—it calls for presence, relational courage, and embodiment. Leading from the Body introduces a trauma-informed leadership model rooted in somatic awareness and relational intelligence. This approach recognizes that trauma is not only cognitive—it is emotional, non-verbal, and stored in the nervous system. As such, healing and leadership must begin in the body. This interactive session explores how lived experience and embodied presence shape culture, relationships, and organizational change.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    Public-Private Partnerships: A Cost-Saving Model to Efficiently End Multiple Public Health Epidemics

    Studio E
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionCongenital syphilis is a completely preventable condition that imposes a significant clinical and financial burden on our current strained healthcare system. In response to rising infection rates in Miami-Dade County, Homestead Hospital (HH) implemented an innovative, Electronic Health Record-integrated Syphilis Screening Algorithm in 2019, embedded within its existing routine HIV and Hepatitis C testing infrastructure.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    Design and Early Findings from the Empower Theater Arts Peer Educator Program

    Studio E
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionWhile a myriad of health education and prevention programs exist in the community and on HBCU college campuses, most women are unaware of these resources and, most importantly, the availability and effectiveness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), despite being at greater risk of HIV. Black Women and HIV: Empowerment through Engagement, Education, and Enrichment (“Empower”) is an HBCU led, collaborative, multi-year initiative committed to advancing HIV prevention and sexual health among Black women by implementing culturally responsive education and community engagement.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Care and Treatment

    The Future is Gray and Gay: Building Inclusive HIV Systems for LGBTQ+ Older Adults

    Studio F
    HIV Care and Treatment Track

    Holy Cross Health in Broward County, Florida, has developed a comprehensive, community-embedded care model that integrates HIV treatment with aging services, behavioral health, and chronic disease management. This peer- and community health worker–led, equity-focused approach is designed to address disparities among LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, and those experiencing economic hardship. The model emphasizes cultural humility, trauma-informed care, and whole-person wellness. This session will explore how this integrated framework improves outcomes and offers a scalable solution for reimagining HIV care for aging LGBTQ+ populations.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    Leveraging Health Promotion Advocates in the Emergency Department to Expand HIV Testing: Findings from a Clinical Program

    Studio D
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionEmergency departments (EDs) serve as a critical access point for medically underserved populations, including individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), co-occurring psychiatric disorders (COD), and those at elevated risk for HIV. This presentation aims to describe a publicly funded HIV prevention and health services program co-located in two affiliated urban Midwestern EDs, to describe any differences among patients who did and did not receive HIV testing, and to discuss strategies for leveraging Health Promotion Advocates (HPAs) in ED settings.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    AI Ready: Establishing a Responsible and Practical Approach to Artificial Intelligence in HIV Care and Prevention

    Studio E
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionMany healthcare organizations are exploring the use of artificial intelligence to improve care and streamline operations but often face uncertainty about how to begin. This session provides a clear and practical entry point for HIV service systems that want to integrate AI responsibly, particularly those working with limited resources.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    PrEP Talk: Building Virtual Community Action in Hillsborough County, FL

    Studio D
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionIn 2021, 78.2% of the 294 new HIV cases in Hillsborough County occurred among males, with male-to-male sexual contact as the leading transmission mode. Despite Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) reducing HIV risk by 99%, accessibility remains a barrier. The Florida Department of Health (FDOH) Health Disparities Coalition PrEP Task Force applied a virtual adaptation of the Community-Based Prevention Marketing (CBPM) framework to develop an intervention addressing PrEP uptake.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    Test UP! PrEP! Level Up!

    Studio D
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionTest Up! PrEP Up! Level Up! Now You’re In the Game! The Maryland Activation—is a high-impact, community-driven initiative led by Heart to Hand, Inc. in partnership with Walgreens and regional health organizations across Prince George’s, Montgomery, and Charles Counties. Held June 27–28, 2025, in recognition of National HIV Testing Day, the activation expands access to free, confidential HIV testing, PrEP education, and immediate linkage to care through trusted community and pharmacy settings.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Care and Treatment

    Justice Is the Intervention: Redesigning Harm Reduction within Black Communities

    Studio F
    HIV Care and Treatment Track

    The decline in drug-related fatalities in New Jersey over the past three years reflects progress in harm reduction, yet racial disparities remain stark. Black and Hispanic communities continue to face disproportionate rates of drug-related deaths—51.4 and 38.9 per 100,000, respectively—compared to white residents. The Black Lives Matter Paterson Harm Reduction Center and Mobile Unit provides resources, care, and support to neglected populations through culturally responsive, Black-centered mobile outreach.

  • Forward in SYNChronicity for HIV Prevention

    Threats to Reduce STI and HIV Prevention Funding: An Analysis of the Immediate Effects on Partner Services at the Houston Health Department

    Studio E
    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionScaling back HIV and STI federal funds undermines decades of progress made in the public health realm. Domestic HIV and STI Prevention programs aim to provide essential services such as testing, treatment and education, to help decrease transmission of infectious diseases and improve health outcomes in the local communities. The Houston Health Department (HHD) relies mostly on federal grants to support staffing, infrastructure and preventative services. The Partner Services program is especially crucial for contact tracing to prevent further spread of disease by tracking partners of individuals potentially infected with syphilis and HIV. HHD assessed the Partner Services program’s performance levels to determine if uncertainty in receiving federal funds, which potentially contributed to a significant reduction in workforce, had negatively impacted Public Health Follow Up (PHFU) activities.

Accreditation, Credit, and Support

Information on credits offered to SYNC participants for attending institutes, sessions, and plenaries — live or in-person — is available here.

Commercial Support Acknowledgement

This conference is supported, in part, by independent educational grants from ineligible companies. A full list of supporters is available here. All accredited content has been developed and delivered in accordance with the ACCME Standards for Integrity and Independence and the criteria of Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™, and is free of commercial bias.