WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18

11:00am – 6:00pm: INSTITUTES
1:00 – 5:00pm: HIV PNC INSTITUTE
3:00 – 5:00pm: HIV PCP INSTITUTE
4:00 – 5:30pm: TRACK SESSIONS

THURSDAY, MARCH 19

9:00 – 10:30am: PLENARY SESSION
10:30am – 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.

  • EmpowerHERed Resilience: Advancing Black Women’s Health Together

    EmpowHERed Resilience is a transformative storytelling experience and institute for Black women to gather, reflect, and heal. Through a four-part video series, participants engage with lived stories across HIV prevention, care, and long-term wellness, uplifting sexual health and honoring the full spectrum of Black women’s experiences. This session fosters connection, affirms lived wisdom, and builds supportive networks, empowering Black women to move forward with strength, purpose, and possibility.

  • Scaling PrEP in Women’s Health: Findings from a Pilot on OBGYN Practices in Mississippi

    HIV Prevention Track

    Power of PreventionStrengthening OBGYN capacity to integrate PrEP into routine care is critical to reducing HIV incidence and advancing health equity for Black women in Mississippi. Findings will guide a forthcoming statewide, grant-funded initiative to scale PrEP delivery in women’s health settings, supporting the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative’s goals and addressing persistent disparities in HIV prevention access and outcomes.

  • Understanding the Sociocultural Context of HIV Outcomes for Transgender Women of Color Age 50+: A Secondary Analysis of the Transgender Women of Color Initiative Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center (TETAC) Dataset

    HIV Care and Treatment Track

    Recent data from the U.S estimated that over half (57%) of transgender women (TW), aged 50+, are living with HIV. Findings lacked analysis by age, gender, and race/ethnicity, but found 62% HIV prevalence among Black trans women, suggesting potential HIV disparities for older TW of color. This study focused on HIV outcomes and health services access for TW aged 50 and older, making important contributions to the context of care for this population sub-group, who shoulder disproportionately high HIV prevalence. Findings highlight the critical role of support services in HIV care engagement and the potential for expanded access and intergenerational peer support programs to ameliorate HIV-related disparities based on age and race.

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

    HIV Prevention Track

    This 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.

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

    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.

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.