The Third Coast Center for AIDS Research hosted the 2022 Annual CFAR Meeting in Chicago on November 3-4, 2022. Over those two days, participants heard from leaders of the Third Coast CFAR as well as representatives from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other institutions.

The annual meeting, which was held at Northwestern Medicine Prentice Women’s Hospital, was thought-provoking and was designed to enhance communication and collaboration across the CFAR program. Highlights consisted of:

• Multi-directional business meetings that focused on high-impact CFARs and best practices.
• Updates on important NIH CFAR program guidance.
• Identification of stakeholder priorities for the CFAR program’s strategic planning.

In addition to learning about innovations in HIV prevention and care, attendees gained breadth of knowledge from recorded awardee flash talks during the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiatives to Advance HIV Research session. Participants also had an opportunity to network with each other and those who attended the Nov. 4 business meetings were invited to a dinner reception the preceding night, where they heard remarks from Dean Eric G. Neilson, MD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, at Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center.

The 2023 CFAR Annual Meeting will be hosted by the Johns Hopkins University CFAR in Baltimore.