Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit 2026
Join NMAC’s 10th Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit (BHPS) in Chicago, April 8-10, 2026.
The Summit was launched by NMAC in 2016 to advance PrEP access for communities most-impacted by HIV. We are the nation’s only convening dedicated to translating complex scientific discoveries and biomedical solutions into effective healthcare delivery for the HIV and public health workforce. This is the place where science meets action—translating cutting-edge research into real-world strategies for HIV prevention.
In its 10th year, the 2026 Summit is set to expand its focus by addressing HIV from a syndemic, whole-person perspective and is integrating the broader clinical and public health workforce (see audiences below). As we celebrate a decade of progress, we’re reimagining what’s possible. This is our moment to embrace a whole-person approach to prevention—because HIV does not exist in isolation, and neither should our solutions.
As part of this effort, NMAC is working with its 2026 Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit’s Program Planning Committee (see below) to curate and develop sessions for BHPS. If you have ideas for abstracts for workshops, please email BHPS@nmac.org Ideas submitted will be shared with the Planning Committee for consideration.
Theme
This year’s theme: The Syndemic Approach—Strengthening the HIV and Public Health Workforce centers the clinical, community, and broader public health workforce, as key partners in the domestic and global effort to improve overall health among HIV affected communities and communities with the poorest health outcomes.
Tracks
The agenda, featuring content in both English and Spanish, converges FIVE tracks centered around the theme “The Syndemic Approach—Strengthening the HIV and Public Health Workforce.”
NMAC is working with its 2026 Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit’s Program Planning Committee to curate and develop sessions for BHPS in alignment with the 5 tracks. If you have ideas for abstracts for workshops, please email BHPS@nmac.org Ideas submitted will be shared with the Planning Committee for consideration.
TRACK 1 – Systems Thinking & A Syndemic Response
Focuses on the interconnected syndemics impacting our communities. Sessions will cover integrated clinical care models for co-morbidities and non-clinical strategies for aligning community programs and funding.
Objectives:
- To build capacity in systems thinking and integrated care approaches by equipping clinical and non-clinical professionals to coordinate across programs, funding streams, and community systems to better respond to syndemics
- To strengthen the clinical and public health workforce’s ability to address interconnected health challenges
TRACK 2 – Technology, Data & Innovation
Highlights emerging technologies in HIV prevention. Sessions will explore data-driven clinical decision support and TelePrEP, alongside m-health/mobile health platforms and analytics for non-clinical outreach and program monitoring.
Objectives:
- To empower the clinical and public health workforce to harness emerging technologies and data tools that drive innovation in HIV prevention and care.
- To enhance participants’ technical skills in data-driven decision-making, TelePrEP implementation, m-health/mobile health platforms, and analytics for improving outreach, monitoring, and service delivery
TRACK 3 – Health Outcome Determinants
Examines the root social and structural factors impacting HIV risk. Sessions include clinical SDoH screening tools and navigation, plus non-clinical partnerships addressing housing, stigma, and economic stability.
Objectives:
- To build workforce capacity to understand and address the social and structural factors influencing HIV outcomes
- To train providers and community staff in SDoH screening, navigation, and cross-sector collaboration so the clinical and nonclinical workforce can mitigate barriers related to housing, stigma, and economic stability
TRACK 4 – Health Equity & Policy Education
Addresses health disparities and systemic barriers. Sessions focus on implementing culturally competent clinical care and developing non-clinical advocacy campaigns to advance health equity and influence legislative change.
Objectives:
- To prepare the workforce to advance health equity and policy change through culturally responsive care and education.
- To gain practical strategies for applying culturally competent care and developing advocacy initiatives that promote health equity and shape policy.
TRACK 5 – Health Communication & Simulation Labs
Develops skills in effective messaging and practice. Sessions features simulation labs for clinical scenarios like motivational interviewing, as well as workshops on creating non-clinical social marketing campaigns and status-neutral messaging.
Objectives:
- To develop the workforce’s communication, counseling, and engagement skills through interactive learning.
- To practice motivational interviewing and client-centered approaches, as well as how to design effective messaging, social marketing, and status-neutral communication strategies
Workshops
(These sessions will be scheduled shortly within the agenda below and aligned with the Track they belong to)
From Clinic to Couch: The Evolving Landscape of STI Diagnostics in Biomedical HIV Prevention
An exploration of the diagnostic technologies available for serial health maintenance with a focus on what tools to use in which settings for what people. The discussion will focus on the various options available to people, clinicians and programs. The conversation about tool selection will be driven by attendees’ questions about their diagnostic needs.
Barbara Van Der Pol, PhD, MPH
Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Differentiated care via mobile pharmacies
Will describe the reason for why mobile retail pharmacies are necessary , the steps to develop one, and results of the effect of mobile pharmacies on bringing whole person healthcare to persons where they live, housed or unhoused, including HIV testing, PrEP, ART , HCV treatment, and opioid use disorder treatments.
Sandra A. Springer, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine
Building Your LAI Clinic: Implementing Long-Acting HIV Treatment and Prevention Across Care Settings
Long-acting injectable (LAI) antiretroviral therapy and PrEP are transforming HIV prevention and treatment—but successful implementation requires far more than prescribing the medication. Clinics must navigate complex decisions around care models, pharmacy workflows, reimbursement strategies, and patient engagement, all while adapting to local resources and staffing. This 90-minute interactive workshop will draw on real-world experience from a physician, pharmacist, and PrEP navigator at Howard Brown Health to walk participants through the operational realities of implementing LAI HIV treatment and prevention. Topics will include centralized versus decentralized care models, clinic flow design, patient expectations and education, white-bagging versus brown/grey-bagging strategies, and 340B opportunities and challenges unique to LAI agents. Participants will engage in small-group, case-based activities to design an LAI implementation model tailored to their own clinic size and setting—whether a large urban health center, community-based organization, or smaller clinical program—leaving with practical strategies they can adapt immediately.
Dr. Aniruddha Hazra
University of Chicago; Howard Brown Health
Drew Halbur, PharmD
University of Chicago; Howard Brown Health
Maribel Miranda
University of Chicago; Howard Brown Health
[Continuing] to Advance the Movement: HIV Prevention Research for and by Black Communities
[Continuing] to Advance the Movement: HIV Prevention Research for and by Black Communities centers Black communities as leaders, knowledge producers, and innovators in HIV prevention research. This workshop highlights how community-engaged, equity-driven research approaches can disrupt historical patterns of extraction and instead build sustainable, trust-based partnerships that improve HIV prevention outcomes. Participants will explore models of research that are rooted in Black lived experience, structural analysis, and cultural strengths, including the use of peer navigation, digital health tools, and implementation science to support PrEP uptake and sustainment. Through real-world examples and interactive discussion, this session will examine how Black-led and Black-informed research advances both scientific rigor and community impact, while strengthening pathways for future scholars and practitioners committed to health justice.
Danielle M Campbell
Founding Member, PrEP in Black America
Novel models of care and treatment paradigms to achieve virologic suppression for all
In 2026, on this 30th year of highly effective ART, we are hovering on the edge of ending the HIV epidemic. But with an approximately 70% virologic suppression rate among people living with HIV across the world, novel treatment paradigms and models of clinical care are needed to achieve the goal of virologic suppression on ART for all. This workshop will explore novel models of care involving low-barrier access clinics for those experiencing homelessness, substance use disorder, or other challenges. We will also discuss novel treatment paradigms like the use of long-acting ART among those with viremia to get to the ultimate goal of achieving virologic suppression for all.
Monica Gandhi, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine and Director UCSF Bay Area Center for AIDS Research; SF, CA
Agenda
Day 1: Wednesday, April 8, 2026
| 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm | Registration |
| 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm | Exhibit Hall Open (Closed During Opening Plenary) |
| 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm | Opening Plenary |
| 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm | Welcome Reception |
Day 2: Thursday, April 9, 2026
| 8:00 am – 9:00 am | Continental Breakfast in Exhibit Hall |
| 8:00 am – 4:00 pm | Registration |
| 8:00 am – 3:00 pm | Exhibit Hall Open |
| 9:00 am – 10:30 am | Session 1 Workshops |
| 10:45 am – 12:15 pm | Session 2 Workshops |
| 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm | Luncheon Plenary |
| 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm | Dessert in Exhibit Hall |
| 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm | Session 3 Workshops |
| 4:15 pm – 5:45 pm | Session 4 Workshops |
| 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm | Affinity Sessions |
Day 3: Friday April 10, 2026
| 8:00 am – 9:30 am | Continental Breakfast in Exhibit Hall |
| 8:00 am – 12:00 pm | Exhibit Hall Open |
| 8:00 am – 4:00 pm | Registration |
| 9:00 am – 10:30 pm | Session 5 Workshops |
| 10:45 am – 12:15 pm | Session 6 Workshops |
| 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm | Luncheon Plenary and PrEPpy Awards |
| 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm | Simulation Labs |
NMAC is working with its 2026 Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit’s Program Planning Committee to curate and develop sessions for BHPS in alignment with the 5 tracks. If you have ideas for abstracts for workshops, please email BHPS@nmac.org Ideas submitted will be shared with the Planning Committee for consideration.
Taking A “Syndemic” Approach
What is a syndemic? Simply put: Synergy + Epidemic = Syndemic
A public health term that refers to a situation where multiple health problems happen at the same time and interact with each other, making things worse for the people affected. These problems aren’t just biological—they’re also shaped by social, economic, and environmental factors like poverty, discrimination, or lack of access to healthcare.
For example, health conditions like HIV, sexually transmitted infections, substance use, and mental health issues don’t just exist separately, they overlap and worsen the combined outcome for the individual experiencing them together. These overlapping issues often hit certain communities harder, especially those facing social challenges like racism, unemployment, or housing instability.
Expanding Our Audiences
NMAC aims to expand participation among direct-care providers and frontline clinicians in community-based and rural settings. The Summit will engage professionals and organizations in clinical or adjacent roles, including:
- HIV/STI Testers
- PrEP Navigators
- Linkage coordinators
- Prescribers (MDs, DOs, NPs, PAs)
- Registered Nurses
- Pharmacists
- Social Workers
- Substance Use Counselors
- Mental Health Professionals
- Registered Dietitians and Nutritionists
- Community Health Workers
- Health Department Professionals
- Clinic Administrators
- Non-Profit Professionals
- Academic Researchers
- Medical Students
Contact
For information, updates, and questions about NMAC’s 2026 Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit, please email Conferences@NMAC.org
