UCSF Bay Area Center for AIDS Research

05/12/2026

The California Center for HIV Syndemic Policy Research (CalCenSyn) invites you to join us for an important and timely webinar:

Impact of California’s Housing Crisis on the HIV Epidemic
When: Friday 5/15 from 1-2:30pm PT
Where: via Zoom
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNViiXJTYj2qdqAGm3cjGCeFGCwHVz0qz0Q072rlqQDS8KVw/viewform

This discussion will bring together experts and community leaders from throughout the state, including TruEvolution (Riverside), TownsPeople (San Diego), and the East Oakland Community Project. As well as SF CFAR member Orlando Harris (co-PI of CalCenSyn). Speakers will share insights on housing policy, emerging research, and the real-world impacts of the housing crisis on their communities. Speakers will also highlight innovative programs and strategies they’re using to address housing insecurity and support people impacted by HIV.

05/01/2026

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is the cause of AIDS, is a master of deception, using just nine genes to hijack the complex cellular machinery of the human body. Yet, even after decades of research on how the virus replicates and persists, researchers still haven’t solved the mystery of exactly which human genes influence HIV infection.

Now, scientists at Gladstone Institutes and UC San Francisco (UCSF) have opened a new door to understanding HIV by creating the first comprehensive genetic roadmap of how the virus interacts with real human cells. In a study published in the journal Cell, the team identified a multitude of human proteins that either help the virus thrive or work to stop it.

A new genetic roadmap reveals hundreds of hidden players in HIV infection, including two proteins that stop HIV in its tracks.

04/23/2026

Dr. Steven Deeks, a professor of medicine and an HIV expert at UCSF, designed and led the study Perrault took part in. He says while the current regimen of ART treatment is good, it still isn’t good enough to solve a global problem like HIV.

“The big fundamental problem with treatment is that it has to be taken daily for life,” he told SFGATE. “That means you have to find a regimen that you can tolerate, you can afford, that works and that’s available. And that just doesn’t happen for a large number of people globally, and even some people in San Francisco.”

"We haven't quite made it to the promised land. We're getting close."

04/13/2026

Educational Symposium Black People Get AIDS Too: Remembering the Early Black Organizing Struggles
Monday, April 27, 2026 | 9AM-2PM (virtual)
Register here: http://tiny.ucsf.edu/symposiumevent

Please join the UCSF Department of Social Sciences, Graduate Division and Library for a symposium honoring Black HIV/AIDS organizers from the San Francisco Bay Area, featuring:
*Four roundtable discussions
*Community organizing and advocacy
*Needle exchange
*Faith-based organizing
* Clinical perspectives

Panelists:

* Ernest Andrews, Co-founder of the Black Coalition on AIDS and the Multicultural AIDS Resource Center; former director, UCSF AIDS Health Project’s Youth Prevention Program
* Ricky Bluthenthal, PhD, Professor and Chair of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, USC
* Braunz Courtney, Executive Director, HIV Education and Prevention Project (HEPPAC)
* Gloria Crowell, Former executive director, Allen Temple Baptist Church Health and Social Services
* AI Cunningham, Former media coordinator, SF Black Coalition on AIDS
* Antoine Johnson, PhD, Professor, African American and African Studies, UC Davis
* Gerald Lenoir, Former executive director, SF Black Coalition on AIDS
* Gloria Lockett, Executive Director, CAL-PEP
* Lisa Moore, PhD, Associate Professor of Public Health, San Francisco State University

This event is FREE to attend and registration is required to receive the Zoom link.

03/30/2026

The Kadel & Gerhardt Internships
Application Due: April 16, 2026

These internships are being generously funded in memoriam of donors who devoted their lives to serving gay men affected by HIV/AIDS. Point seeks to support the next generation of researchers, advocates, and care providers who are interested working with the LGBTQ+ community of HIV-positive and high-risk individuals by funding their summer internship opportunities.

Eligibility
* Must apply with an unpaid internship set during the summer of 2026.
* Internship must be related to the field of HIV/AIDS research, advocacy, and/or services.
* Open to students currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program or individuals who are within one year of their graduation.
* Must be a member of the LGBTQ+ community or an ally.

Apply for Point's Internship and Professional Development Award to gain funding for hands-on learning experiences that enhance your academic and career success.

12/08/2025

Honoring and Remembering Alberto Rangel: Join Us in Tribute

Dear UCSF HIV Community,
It is with profound sadness that we recognize the tragic death of Alberto Rangel, a beloved Ward 86 social worker, as well as a spouse, brother, and friend. Alberto was attacked at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG) last Thursday and passed away over the weekend due to his injuries. His loss is deeply felt by all who had the privilege of knowing him and working alongside him.

Alberto’s unwavering compassion, advocacy, and commitment to his patients and community were truly extraordinary. A GoFundMe has been created in his memory, and his family has shared plans to donate the funds to an organization Alberto cared about deeply. We invite those who wish to honor Alberto’s legacy to visit the GoFundMe page and contribute if they are able.

This week, vigils will be held in his honor in front of the Mother and Baby Statue at the Potrero entrance to ZSFG nightly from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. These gatherings will provide an opportunity for our community to come together, mourn, and celebrate Alberto’s life. Please feel free to bring flowers or candles; there will also be candles available.

We also want to acknowledge the profound impact of his loss on his colleagues at Ward 86 and the broader UCSF, ZSFG, and SFDPH communities. We encourage anyone who may need support during this difficult time to reach out to the UCSF Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP). FSAP provides confidential counseling and resources to help navigate moments of loss and uncertainty.

Alberto’s kindness, dedication, and tireless service will never be forgotten. He leaves behind a legacy of hope and compassion that will continue to inspire us all. Our hearts are with his husband, family, loved ones, colleagues, and the patients he so deeply cared for.

In solidarity,
UCSF-Bay Area Center for AIDS Research
UCSF AIDS Research Institute

11/20/2025

A Special World AIDS Day Grand Rounds: Mentoring Research and HIV Care: An Award, Community-Based Interventions, and HIV Cases from Ward 86
Wednesday, 3, 2025
8:30AM-9:30AM | Breakfast served at 8:15AM
Carr Auditorium, Zuckerberg San Francisco General
(Zoom option available: https://bit.ly/CFAR1203

Join us for a special HIV Grand Rounds commemorating World AIDS Day! We are delighted to present the ARI Award for Excellence in Research Mentoring to Dr. John Sauceda, and we will hear from one of his mentees, Dr. Natasha Ludwig-Barron, on her current research. We will also hear two Ward 86 HIV cases from Dr. Kyle Hunter (new Ward 86 HIV Fellow).

11/20/2025

History in the Making
ZSFG and the Ongoing Fight Against HIV

Monday, December 1, 2025
3:30PM-5:00PM PST | Reception to follow
Carr Auditorium, Zuckerberg San Francisco General
(Zoom option available)
RSVP here: https://ari.ucsf.edu/WAD2025

Join us for World AIDS Day 2025, where we’ll celebrate the scientific advances led by UCSF HIV researchers in partnership with our city. The event will feature a keynote from Dr. Diane Havlir (UCSF Professor of Medicine & ARI Director). We will also hear from several city officials, a long-term survivor with HIV, and Dr. Paul Volberding will moderate a panel with Drs. Steven Deeks, Monica Gandhi, Peter Hunt, and Annie Luetkemeyer on upcoming breakthroughs in HIV research and care.

10/17/2025

Registration Now Open!
Annual Mentoring the Mentors Workshop for HIV Researchers
Aldea Center on Mount Sutro, San Francisco
Tuesday and Wednesday, January 13th and 14th, 2026
Registration deadline: October 31, 2025
https://cfar.ucsf.edu/news/registration-now-open-annual-mentoring-mentors-workshop-hiv-researchers-january-13-14-2026

10/16/2024

N3C Emerging Issues (Virtual) Town Hall
Cannabis and HIV
Thursday, October 17, 2024
3:00-4:30PM PT | 5:00-6:30PM CT | 6:00-7:30PM ET
Register at: bit.ly/N3C1017

Panelists (confirmed):
Jennifer Manuzak, PhD, Tulane University
Danielle Haley, PhD, Boston University

Topics to be discussed:
• ·Overview of cannabis and HIV research
• ·Stigma on cannabis/drug usage
• ·Impact on adherence
• ·Pharmaceuticals/pharmacist perspective
• ·PLWHA historic use of cannabis
• Community/consumer perspective

Disclaimer: This town hall is not advocacy on the part of the N3C for the use of cannabis, but to facilitate dialogue with researchers on this topic and members of the CFAR community advisory boards and other community stakeholders.