URMC / Center for AIDS Research / Events

Events

Upcoming Events

There are currently no upcoming events. Please check back regularly.

Recent Events

CFAR World AIDS Day 2019 - Scientific Symposium

Tuesday, December 3, 2019 from 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

In honor of World AIDS Day, the UR Center for AIDS Research hosted a scientific symposium on December 3, 2019, in the Class of '62 Auditorium (G-9425).

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Keynote Speaker - Class of '62 - Susana Valente, PhD, Scripps Research Institute, “Silencing the HIV Reservoir, the 'Block and Lock' Approach”.
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Scientific Poster Session - Flaum Atrium - The poster session in the Flaum Atrium will feature posters from undergraduate students, medical students, graduate students, and post-doctoral associates training here at UR and in the surrounding region. Posters from faculty will also be featured.
12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. - Keynote Speaker - Class of '62 - Thomas Sullivan, MPH, New York State Department of Health, AIDS Institute, “Molecular Epidemiology Informed HIV Programming in NYS”.

CFAR Community Partner Award presented to Thomas Warfield

Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at the CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium

CFAR’s 2019 Community Partner Award was presented to Thomas Warfield. The award seeks to recognize those who have exemplified commitment and leadership in developing community collaboration with the CFAR in the HIV/AIDS research field. Mr. Warfield was selected for his long-standing partnership with UR and pioneering contributions to the LGBT and HIV community. His skill in using the art of dance, music and poetry to raise awareness around HIV, as well as foster the conversation around race, gender identity and religion has helped break down barriers and reduce stigma. The annual World AIDS Day Concerts Mr. Warfield has conducted and his public support of HIV research has helped move the research forward. Mr. Warfield's leadership in the early days of the HIV epidemic not only assisted those in need, but helped in moving the research forward. His business acumen and passion to give back to the community has placed him in key leadership positions that has raised awareness about HIV across many disciplines including political and business lines, while keeping the community he serves as the priority. Mr. Warfield has been and continues to be an advocate for those infected and affected by HIV.

View the 2019 CFAR WAD Event flyer

CFAR World AIDS Day 2018 - Scientific Symposium

Friday, November 30, 2018 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

In honor of World AIDS Day, the UR Center for AIDS Research hosted a scientific symposium on November 30, in the Class of '62 Auditorium (G-9425).

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Keynote Speaker - Class of '62 - Dr. Marguerita Lightfoot, Professor of Medicine at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine “Prevention in the Digital Age: Tech, Text and Thrive”.
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Scientific Poster Session - Flaum Atrium - The poster session in the Flaum Atrium will feature posters from undergraduate students, medical students, graduate students, and post-doctoral associates training here at UR and in the surrounding region. Posters from faculty will also be featured.
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. - Keynote Speaker - Class of '62 - Dr. Douglas Nixon, Professor of Immunology in Medicine Division of Infectious Diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine, “Retroviruses Rule ?!”.
1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. - Special Screening - Class of '62 - Documentary “Don’t Define Me” featuring the work of University of Rochester Artist in Residence Charmaine Wheatley. An artist shares intimate moments with people affected by HIV, creating watercolor portraits that capture their image, thoughts, feelings, joys and challenges. Directed and produced by Don Casper. The Artist in Residence program, co-funded by the CFAR starting in January of 2017, focuses on "Humanizing is Destigmatizing," as an artistic endeavor to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV and mental health. Additional information about the Artist in Residence program in CITY Newspaper.

CFAR Community Partner Award presented to Tim N. Tompkins

Friday, November 30, 2018 at the CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium

CFAR’s 2018 Community Partner Award was presented to Tim N. Tompkins. The award seeks to recognize those who have exemplified commitment and leadership in developing community collaboration with the CFAR in the HIV/AIDS research field. Mr. Tompkins was selected for his long-standing partnership with UR and his pioneering contributions to the LGBT and HIV community. Mr. Tompkins' leadership in the early days of the HIV epidemic not only assisted those in need, but helped in moving the research forward. Mr. Tompkins' business acumen and passion to give back to the community has placed him in key leadership positions that has raised awareness about HIV across many disciplines, including political and business lines, while keeping the community the priority. Mr. Tompkins has been and continues to be an advocate for those infected and affected by HIV.

View the CFAR World AIDS Day 2018 Scientific Symposium Flyer

Special CFAR Presentation - Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BBCB) Core Presents: The Best Statistical Practice: the BBCB Core of CFAR Is Here to Support Your Research

Wednesday, July 25, 2018 - 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

The Biostatistics, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BBCB) Core is an important component of the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and our goal is to provide quality analytic service to the HIV/AIDS research community at the University of Rochester. The BBCB Core is staffed with biostatisticians and computational biologists with years of experience collaborating with lab scientists and clinicians. For example, Dr. Johnson (director) is an expert in missing data and causal inference. Dr. Wu (leader of the biostatistics unit) is specialized in high-dimensional data analysis and computational statistics. Dr. Thakar is a computational biologist with expertise in systems biology and large-scale data analysis, and Dr. Qiu has experience in both medical image analysis and genomic data analysis.

In this talk, we first went through the structure and the mission of the BBCB Core, followed by a few examples of ongoing collaborative research projects to highlight the best statistical practice and the power of multidisciplinary research. Finally we had a panel discussion to interact with the audience and answer questions.

Presenters include:

TongTong Wu, PhD, Associate Professor, Biostatistics & Computational Biology
Xing Qiu, PhD, Associate Professor, Biostatistics & Computational Biology
Juilee Thakar, PhD, Assistant Professor, Microbiology &Immunology and Biostatistics & Computational Biology

View the CFAR BBCB Special Presentation Flyer

CFAR World AIDS Day 2017 - Scientific Symposium

Friday, December 1st, 2017 from 10 am - 2 pm

In honor of World AIDS Day, the UR Center for AIDS Research hosted a scientific symposium on December 1st in the Class of '62 Auditorium (G-9425). Keynote presentations included:

10:00 AM - “Synergism between CRISPR/Cas9 and Long Acting ART leads to elimination of HIV-1 with no viral rebound in humanized mice” by Kamel Khalili, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Neuroscience, and Director, Center for Neurovirology, School of Medicine at Temple University - Class of 62 Auditorium
11:00 AM - 2:30 PM - Scientific Poster Session - Flaum Atrium
12:30 PM - “Mad, Bad, and Sad: Syndemic HIV and Mental Illness” by Michael Blank, PhD, Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry, HIV Prevention Research Division at the University of Pennsylvania - Class of 62 Auditorium

The poster session in the Flaum Atrium featured posters from undergraduate and graduate students and post doctoral associates training here at UR and in the surrounding region. Posters from Faculty were also featured.

CFAR Community Partner Award presented to Evelyn Bailey

Friday, December 1st, 2017 at the CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium

CFAR’s Community Partner Award was presented to Evelyn Bailey. The award seeks to recognize those who have exemplified commitment and leadership in developing community collaboration with the CFAR in the HIV/AIDS research field. Ms. Bailey was selected for her long-standing partnership with UR and her pioneering contributions to the local LGBTQ community. As an educator, political activist and historian she led the collection and documentation of Rochester's robust LGBT history, lest we forget how far we have come. In her role as Executive Producer of the documentary Shoulders to Stand On, she captured the HIV/AIDS epidemic through individual’s testimony and story telling.

View the CFAR WAD Symposium Flyer

Faith & Spirituality Research Collaborative Workshop - 1st Annual Symposium

March 28-29, 2017

The CFAR Faith & Spirituality Research Collaborative (CFSRC) brings together researchers and faith/spiritual communities to conduct collaborative research that will contribute to reducing disparities in communities most heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS in the United States and around the world. This group is committed to global collaboration to promoted the development of a robust research portfolio that spans the social, behavioral, clinical and basic sciences as they pertain to the CDC’s HIV Care Continuum Initiative to control the epidemic as well as building a collaborative relationship between researchers, faith community leaders and patient advocates. For additional information or questions on this symposium, please contact Catherine Bunce at (585) 275-5744.

UR CFAR hosting Harvard WAD Webinar and UR Panel Discussion

December 15, 2016 3:00 – 5:00 PM

Webinar (3:00 – 4:30) and UR hosted Panel discussion (4:30 – 5:00) in School of Nursing Auditorium (1W-304)
Alternate viewing option for just webinar (see link on flyer)

The UR CFAR hosted a new webinar offered by the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research Community Education and Engagement Program titled Getting to Zero in the Black Community in the US: Preliminary Findings from the National Survey on HIV in the Black Community (NSHBC) that was held on December 15, 2016 at 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM (ET).

A separate UR hosted panel discussion took take place after the webinar in the School of Nursing Auditorium from 4:30 PM - 5:00 PM and featured UR faculty and community leaders:

LaRon Nelson, Ph.D., R.N., assistant professor and the Dean’s Endowed Fellow in Health Disparities at the School of Nursing
Natalie Leblanc, R.N., M.P.H., Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow - Associate HIV Prevention Science at the School of Nursing

Reverend Weldon Thomas, senior pastor, New Bethel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Naimah Sierra, Vice President, Community Services Division, Action for a Better Community.

The webinar and UR panel discussion were viewable in SON Auditorium (1W-304).

To view the recorded Harvard webinar and slides, please visit Harvard Center for AIDS Research Webinar page.

View the new December 15th Webinar and Panel Discussion Flyer

CFAR World AIDS Day 2016 - Scientific Symposium

Thursday, December 1st, 2016 from 10am - 3pm

In honor of World AIDS Day, the UR Center for AIDS Research hosted a scientific symposium on December 1st in the Class of '62 Auditorium (G-9425). Keynote speakers included:

10:00-11:00 am – Guido Silvestri, M.D., professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine: “Immune Control of Virus Replication Under ART”
12:30-1:30 pm – B. Matija Peterlin, M.D., professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco: “HIV Latency & Reactivation”
1:30-2:30 pm – Paul A. Wender, Ph.D., professor of Chemistry & Chemical and Systems Biology at Stanford University: “Progress Toward an HIV/AIDS Eradication Strategy”

There was also a poster session in the Flaum Atrium from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm that featured posters from undergraduate and graduate students and post doctoral associates training here at UR and in the surrounding region.

CFAR Community Partner Award presented to Peter Mohr

Thursday, December 1st, 2016 at the CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium

CFAR’s Community Partner Award was presented to Peter Mohr. The award seeks to recognize those who have exemplified commitment and leadership in developing community collaboration with the CFAR in the HIV/AIDS research field. Mr. Mohr was selected for his long-standing partnership with UR and his pioneering contributions to community engagement in the local LGBTQ community to promote HIV treatment and prevention research.

View highlights of the 2016 World AIDS Day Symposium and Poster Session

View the CFAR WAD Scientific Symposium Flyer

CFAR Pathways Discovery Resource High-Throughput Screening Mini-Symposium

Monday, October 24th from 1:00 – 3:30 PM in CEL 2-7536

The CFAR Pathways Discovery Resource High-Throughput Screening Mini-Symposium featured special guest speaker Sara Cherry, PhD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine who presented “Using functional genomics to reveal new targets for antiviral therapeutics”

Dr. Cherry has pioneered the use of high-throughput cell-based screening to study
host-pathogen interactions with a focus on viruses. Dr. Cherry has used this technology to
perform functional genomic screens including genome-wide RNAi and cDNA screens against a diverse array of viral pathogens and eukaryotic parasites in both human cells and insect cells.

The symposium focused on the new University of Rochester core facility for Pathways
Discovery. Symposium featured presentations included:

“Identification and targeting host genes that modulates viral replication” Jian Zhu, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Microbiology & Immunology

“Unbiased drug discovery and drug repurposing in the treatment of lysosomal storagedisorders” Chris Folts, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate, Noble Lab, Dept. of Biomedical Genetics

“Targeting the myofibroblast with small molecules” Eric Small, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute

View the Pathways Discovery Mini-Symposium Flyer

CFAR Scientific Symposium - Community and Research Partnering to End the Epidemic

Friday, September 30th, 2016 from 8:00am – 12noon, Class of '62 Auditorium (Breakfast at 8:00 am)

University of Rochester is working with Monroe County and Community Based Organizations towards the goal of ending the epidemic. As part of the New York State and Monroe County initiative, UR hosted a scientific symposium to bring scientists and community partners together to share how the community and researchers can work in collaboration to reach this goal.

View the CFAR Scientific Symposium Flyer

View the CFAR Scientific Symposium Slides

Special Guest Speaker, Dr. Ken Cadwell and Microbiome Research Roundtable Discussion

Tuesday, September 20th, 2016

Dr. Cadwell presented “Host-microbiome Interactions and Inflammatory Bowel Disease” at 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM in the Ryan Case Method Room (1-9576).

Dr. Cadwell and Dr. Yarovinsky (URMC) led the Microbiome Research Roundtable Discussion 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM in KMRB 1.9624. The roundtable discussion was organized to learn about the utility of the newly established germ-free mouse facility at the URMC, with particular emphasis on applications to immunity and HIV related research.

Dr. Cadwell is an associate professor in the Skirball Institute and the Department of Microbiology at New York University School of Medicine. His laboratory strives to understand how a balanced immune response is generated during an infection, and why some individuals develop harmful inflammatory responses directed towards otherwise beneficial microbes that are part of the gut microbiome. Dr. Cadwell is a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigator in Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases and a recent recipient of the Ann Palmenberg Junior Investigator Award.

View Dr. Cadwell Flyer

CFAR Faculty Retreat 2016

Monday July 11th, 2016 from 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM, School of Nursing - Room 1W501 (Fiaretti Room)

The goals of this annual event are to create opportunities for scientific networking and collaboration and to foster inclusive and transparent strategic planning. Ultimately the outcome of this retreat is to guide the direction, scientific focus, and programs of our CFAR to support the widest range of faculty needs.

View the 2016 presentation slides

Dr. Jason Farley presented at School of Nursing Grand Rounds

Wednesday April 20th, 2016 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, School of Nursing Auditorium

Dr. Jason Farley, PhD, MPH, NP, FAAN, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing presented “Consumed by Consumptions: Interventions for Patients with TB/HIV Co-Infection in South Africa”

Dr. Farley is an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and a nurse practitioner in the Division of Infectious Diseases within The Johns Hopkins AIDS Service. He is also the Co-Director of the Clinical Core at the Johns Hopkins Center for AIDS Research and the president of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC). He holds adjunct faculty appointments at both The University KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa and The University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Farley's research seeks to optimize the prevention and management of HIV infection with a particular emphasis on drug resistance Tuberculosis among persons with HIV in international settings.

View the SON Grand Rounds Flyer

CFAR Community Partner Award presented to William Valenti, M.D.

Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 at the CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium

CFAR’s new Community Partner Award was presented to William Valenti, M.D., co-founder and staff physician at Trillium Health. The award seeks to recognize those who have exemplified commitment and leadership in developing community collaboration with the CFAR in the HIV/AIDS research field. Valenti, the founding recipient of the award, was selected for his long-standing partnership with UR, his pioneering contributions to community engagement in HIV/AIDS-related health care and research, and his profound commitment, since the beginning of the epidemic, to ensuring that persons living with HIV/AIDS in the Rochester area receive the most innovative and effective care possible.

CFAR World AIDS Day 2015 - Scientific Symposium

Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 from 10am - 2pm

In honor of World AIDS Day, the UR Center for AIDS Research hosted a scientific symposium on December 1st featuring “Novel HIV Vaccine Strategies” by Dr. Dan Barouch, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and “Silencing of Retroviral DNAs in Embryonic Stem Cells” by Dr. Stephen Goff, Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics and Microbiology & Immunology at Columbia University Medical Center here in the Class of “62 Auditorium. There was also a poster session in the Flaum Atrium that included posters from undergraduate and graduate students and post doctoral associates training here at UR.

View highlights of the 2015 World AIDS Day Symposium

View the 2015 CFAR WAD Agenda

An Evening with Dr. Michael Gottlieb: Hear the Story of How One Disease Changed His Career and Life

Thursday, November 19, 2015 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (Remarks at 6:15 p.m.) RSVP Required

Michael Gottlieb '73M (MD), '74M (Res), '77M (Res), Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, is one of the most renowned HIV/AIDS specialists in the world. In 1981, he made history when he identified AIDS as a new disease. His patients included Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Glazer, and with the late actress Elizabeth Taylor and Dr. Mathilde Krim, he co-founded the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR). He is currently the medical advisor to the Board of the Global AIDS Interfaith Alliance, and continues to see patients in his private practice in Los Angeles, CA.

For additional information please contact Angela Pullen at 585-273-5937 or apullen@admin.rochester.edu

Michael Gottlieb ‘73M (MD), ‘74M (Res), ‘77M (Res)

Michael C. Keefer, MD
Director, HIV Vaccine Clinical Trials Unit
Co-Director, Center for AIDS Research

Panel Q&A

View the An Evening with Dr. Gottlieb program

View the An Evening with Dr. Gottlieb flyer

CFAR “Mixer” 2015

Tuesday, October 13th, 2015 from 3pm - 5pm

The UR CFAR held our first “Mixer” on October 13, 2015 from 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM. The event was hosted by the Developmental Core and the Clinical and Translational Sciences Core and featured our guest speaker, Dr. Sarit Golub, and an opportunity to meet and mingle with CFAR researchers and others from the broader community.

View the CFAR Mixer Flyer

CFAR Faculty Retreat 2015

Monday June 29th, 2015 from 9AM – 12:30 PM, SON Room 1W501

View the 2015 presentation slides

Webinar: The Rochester Impact: Paving the Way to a World Without AIDS

Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. EDT

The Rochester Impact: Paving the Way to a World Without AIDS is presented by Stephen Dewhurst, Vice Dean for Research at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Director of the Center for AIDS Research and Michael C. Keefer, Director of the HIV Vaccine Clinical Trial Unit, and Co-Director of the Center for AIDS Research.

The University of Rochester has been a leader in HIV/AIDS research for nearly 30 years, most recently designated as a Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). Stephen Dewhurst and Michael Keefer, directors of the CFAR, discuss the latest advances in HIV/AIDS research at the University. The presentation highlights the outstanding clinical care delivered in the AIDS Clinic, which has resulted in Rochester having the lowest community viral load in New York State, as well as the cutting-edge research being performed by Rochester CFAR scientists. In addition, it showcases two ambitious goals that the CFAR intends to complete within the next five years: (1) To be the world's first center to test a new first-in-class therapy in people to prevent severe HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders; and (2) to conduct the first test of a new treatment to save the lives of a half million persons with HIV/AIDS who currently die from meningitis caused by a deadly, but neglected, fungal pathogen.

2015 6th Annual Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards

Thursday, April 30, 2015, 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM at the University of Rochester Medical Center - Class of '62 Auditorium

The 6th Annual Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards recognize individual University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) faculty and staff for their significant contributions to the health of the community through research, teaching, practice and/or outreach programs.

The UR CFAR was well represented among the 2015 recipients of the ‘Dr. David Satcher Community Health Improvement Awards’, sponsored by the UR Center for Community Health. We congratulate Dr. Michael Keefer (Senior Investigator Category), Dr. Amina Alio (Junior Investigator Category), and Precious Bedell (who works with CFAR investigator Dr. Diane Morse; Staff Category) who all received awards.

The Rochester Impact: Paving the Way to a World Without AIDS

January 15, 2015, University Club of New York, New York, NY
Hosted by Rich Gumer, CEO at Life Sciences Alternative Funding, LLC

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) has been a leader in HIV/AIDS research for nearly 30 years. Alumnus Michael Gottlieb '73M (MD), '74M (Res), '77M (Res), made history when he identified AIDS as a new disease in 1981. Following, URMC has paved the way with clinical research sites for HIV treatment and vaccines, key studies and findings, and recognition as a full National Institutes of Health Center for AIDS research. But there’s more to be done.

Our panel of experts shared insights into the future of the AIDS epidemic and the University’s goals to pioneer new treatments and therapies.

Michael Gottlieb ‘73M (MD), ‘74M (Res), ‘77M (Res)

Stephen Dewhurst, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine and Dentistry
Director, Center for AIDS Research

Michael C. Keefer, MD
Director, HIV Vaccine Clinical Trials Unit
Co-Director, Center for AIDS Research

Panel Discussion

World AIDS Day 2014 Scientific Symposium

Tuesday, December 2nd, 2014 from 10am - 2pm

In honor of World AIDS Day, the UR Center for AIDS Research will be hosting a scientific symposium on December 2nd featuring talks from prestigious experts in the AIDS community and research posters from undergraduate and graduate students and post doctoral associates training at UR.

2014 Printable Agenda

World AIDS Day Reception

World AIDS Day group The World AIDS Day reception was held at the Strathallan Hotel in Rochester, NY. A private dinner was hosted by Evelyn Bailey, Chair, Shoulders To Stand On Program, and the Center for AIDS Research, in honor of World AIDS Day. In the invitation, Evelyn wrote, “You are among a core group of community members who have been deeply involved in advocating for people with HIV/AIDS in the Rochester community since the beginning of this epidemic. I would be pleased if you could join me, Steve Dewhurst, PhD and other UR experts in the field to share your reflections, and to learn about current directions and future plans for HIV/AIDS research and care. Your input will help us better serve the community.

UR Center for AIDS Research Human Subject Research Networking Event

September 19th, 2014 from 10 am – 1 pm Saunders Research Building, Room 1416

The goals of this innovative networking event were for faculty working in Human Subject Research to hear about the innovative work their colleagues are doing, learn about the local research infrastructure, identify potential collaborators, grant opportunities and find out how the CFAR can support their work.

Review the research presentations and list of bios for the faculty who attended this event.