Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Trials Unit

04/10/2025

Young people have the greatest unmet need for PrEP among all age groups – for every 1 person diagnosed with between ages 13-24, only 9 people in the same age group are using PrEP.

04/10/2025

In 2022, young people ages 13-24 accounted for 19% of all new HIV diagnoses nationwide, and only 67% of young people living with HIV had achieved viral suppression. This , read more about how affects young people:

LINK: https://aidsvu.org/resources/toolkits/national-youth-h…day-toolkit-2025/

04/10/2025

🚨 CONVERSATION REPLAY ALERT 🚨
I recently had the honor of sitting down with the one and only Olivia Hill — Metro Council Member At-Large and the first person in Tennessee elected to public office while living openly and authentically.

From her time in the Navy to her bold leadership on the Nashville Metro Council, Olivia’s story is rooted in service, resilience, and speaking truth to power. We covered it all — public service, access to care, community strength, and what it means to lead with purpose.

💡 If you missed the live, no worries — the full conversation is available now on the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Program’s Instagram:
🎥 Watch: https://www.instagram.com/p/DIPlgkcMgAM/
📍

Come for the inspiration.
Stay for the real talk.
And share it with someone who needs to hear it.

04/07/2025

Huge thanks to Middle Tennessee State University and MT Lambda for inviting the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Program to table at the College Conference! We were honored to share information about our volunteer opportunities and pass out educational brochures to students and allies committed to health equity.

Special shoutout to CAB Chair Alberta Hardison for volunteering alongside us and courageously sharing her story as a former participant.

Together, we’re combating HIV stigma one conversation at a time.

04/02/2025

Join us LIVE on April 9, 2025 at 5:30 PM CST for a powerful and unfiltered conversation you don’t want to miss!

Jarissa Greenard, Community Educator & Recruiter at the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Program, is sitting down with Olivia Hill, Tennessee Elected Official and Metro Council Member At-Large, for a dynamic dialogue on community, advocacy, and breaking barriers in public health.

When: April 9, 2025 | 5:30 PM CST
Where: Instagram Live on

Together, they’re sharing bold truths, lived experiences, and the kind of insight that moves the needle forward.

Tap in. Get inspired. Be part of the change.

04/01/2025

We promise that this is NOT an April Fools Joke. 🤓

Missed our March CAB meeting? No worries!

We’ve got more opportunities for you to join us and be part of the conversation. Mark your calendars and don’t miss these upcoming dates!

📅 Upcoming CAB Meetings:
✨ Tuesday, April 08, 2025
✨ Tuesday, May 1, 2025***

***In-Person meeting

💌 Send in your RSVPs or questions to jarissa.e.greenard@vumc.org and secure your spot today!

Let’s keep building, learning, and growing together. See you there! 💬✨

03/31/2025

Big news from the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Program!
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to Dr. David Haas, our new Co-Principal Investigator!

As Co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Haas will help lead the scientific direction of our clinical trials, ensuring our research stays rooted in innovation, ethics, and community impact. Co-PIs are vital to the success of our program—they guide research operations, oversee participant safety, and work closely with community partners to advance the future of HIV prevention.

We’re thrilled to have Dr. Haas join our leadership team and bring his expertise to this important work!

Drop a comment below to help us welcome Dr. Haas to the team!

03/31/2025

Happy Doctors’ Day!
Today, we’re celebrating the incredible dedication, compassion, and brilliance of physicians who make a lasting impact—and we’d like to give a special shoutout to our very own Dr. Spyros Kalams, Principal Investigator at the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Program.

Dr. Kalams has been a driving force in the fight to end the HIV epidemic, leading with both scientific excellence and an unwavering commitment to the communities we serve. His leadership continues to inspire our team and push the boundaries of what’s possible in HIV research.

Thank you, Dr. Kalams, for your vision, heart, and service.

Help us celebrate Dr. Kalams in the comments below!

03/30/2025

🎉👨‍⚕️ Happy Doctors’ Day! 👨‍⚕️🎉
Today, we’re shining a major spotlight on our very own scientific superhero — Dr. Spyros Kalams — Principal Investigator (aka PI) of the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Program! 🧪💥

Dr. Kalams has been part of the Vanderbilt Infectious Diseases team since 2002 and is the Director of Viral Immunology Studies within the Vanderbilt ID Unit. He also leads the Laboratory Sciences Core at the Tennessee Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). Basically… he wears A LOT of very important hats. 🧠🧢🧪

As a Principal Investigator, Dr. Kalams is the lead researcher — meaning he’s the captain of the ship when it comes to designing, managing, and steering our HIV vaccine studies. From making sure our research is ethically sound ✅ to pushing scientific boundaries 🌍, he’s committed to finding solutions that could change lives.

His lab focuses on unlocking the power of the immune system by studying HIV-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) and helper responses. This cutting-edge research helps evaluate vaccines before they go into clinical trials. Talk about working behind the scenes to protect the future! 🔬💉

Let’s show some love to Dr. Kalams for his brilliance, leadership, and dedication to advancing HIV science! 👏👏👏
Drop a ❤️ or 🙌 in the comments to say THANK YOU, Dr. Kalams!

03/26/2025

Science and storytelling might seem like total opposites—but together, they’re unstoppable.

Data shows us what’s happening.

Stories show us why it matters.

When we use both, we don’t just inform—we connect, inspire, and move people to action. That’s the power of pairing evidence with empathy.

03/25/2025

🌟 Missed our March CAB meeting? No worries! 🌟

We’ve got more opportunities for you to join us and be part of the conversation. Mark your calendars and don’t miss these upcoming dates!

📅 Upcoming CAB Meetings:
✨ Tuesday, April 08, 2025
✨ Tuesday, May 1, 2025***

***In-Person Meeting***

💌 Send in your RSVPs or questions to jarissa.e.greenard@vumc.org and secure your spot today!

Let’s keep building, learning, and growing together. See you there! 💬✨

03/25/2025

🎥 “When we hear terms like medical racism - what I’m referring to is a long history that we have of practices and treatments taking place in a bias way…”

In this clip, Nora Howell breaks down what medical racism really means—and why it still matters today. From lived experiences to systemic issues, this is a conversation we all need to hear.📣

Catch the full conversation now on The Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Trials Unit page. Let’s keep showing up, speaking out, and demanding better.

03/24/2025

🎥 Clip from a powerful convo you don’t want to miss…Join Nora Howell and Jarissa Greenard as they dive into the real numbers behind HIV and how it’s impacting Black women in our communities.💬 “In 2022, Black accounted for 50% of new HIV diagnoses among women in the U.S. (United States).”📲 Watch the full conversation now on The Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Trials Unit page and let’s keep breaking the stigma, together.

03/21/2025

In honor of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we’re proud to share a powerful conversation between Jarissa Greenard and Nora R. Howell—two passionate voices working at the intersection of HIV research, education, and empowerment. 💬💪🏽

Together, they explore what it means to show up for women and girls in the fight against HIV, the importance of community-led solutions, and how we can all play a role in ending the epidemic.

🎥 Watch the full interview now and be inspired to take action, raise awareness, and stand in solidarity with women and girls everywhere.

Link: http://bit.ly/41JsS4D

What will it take to find an HIV vaccine?
People like you. People like me.

03/20/2025

🌟 Meet Dr. Jorge R Mera, leading the charge in infectious disease care for Cherokee Nation Health Services! With a $450,000 grant, Dr. Mera is making strides in eliminating Hepatitis C and HIV in the community. This funding helps reach vulnerable populations and improve health outcomes for all. 🏥💪

On National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 20), let's spread the word about the importance of knowing your status and accessing available support. Together, we can make a difference! 💙

Hepatitis C Elimination and the Cherokee Nation April 2, 2024 Jorge R Mera, MD, FACP, is the Director of Infectious Diseases for Cherokee Nation Health Services. He is Director of the HIV Clinic and the Program Director of Indian Health Services-funded Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative for the Cher...

03/18/2025

Scientists are working on a new way to prevent HIV that could last for an entire year with just one shot. Right now, a company called Gilead Sciences is getting ready to release a twice-a-year version of this medicine, called lenacapavir, but they are also testing a once-a-year version to make it even easier for people to stay protected.

Many people have trouble taking a daily pill to prevent HIV, so long-acting shots could be a great solution. This medicine is not a vaccine, but it works by stopping the virus from spreading in the body. Early research on the once-a-year version of lenacapavir shows that it stays in the body long enough to be effective and is safe to use. The company found the results so promising that they are skipping ahead to a bigger study (called a phase III trial) to see if it works well for large groups of people.

This is certainly good news for the HIV field, as having a once-a-year PrEP option could make prevention more accessible for many people. However, there is still a critical need for an effective HIV vaccine because prevention is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The more prevention options available, the better we can meet the diverse needs of different communities.

If you are interested in HIV and research, consider connecting with Jarissa Greenard to learn more about volunteer opportunities with the Vanderbilt HIV Vaccine Program and how you can contribute to the future of HIV prevention. You can reach her at jarissa.e.greenard@vumc.org.

What will it take to find an HIV vaccine?
People like you. People like me.

As Gilead Sciences prepares to launch twice-yearly lenacapavir pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) later this year, the company is also developing once-yearly formulations that could make an even greater contribution to ending the HIV epidemic.