Check this page often for news, updates, event recaps, and blog posts from the Midwest D-CFAR. Posts from 2024 can be found here.
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Midwest D-CFAR Members Receive Department of Medicine Awards
We are excited to share that three members of the Midwest D-CFAR have been recognized by the Department of Medicine at Washington University School of Medicine. These awards celebrate faculty and staff whose dedication and service strengthen the department and the broader WashU Medicine community.
Radhika Sundararajan joins WashU and Midwest D-CFAR
We're excited to welcome Dr. Sundararajan to our team! As an emergency physician and anthropologist, Dr. Sundararajan brings a unique perspective to HIV research, focusing on building trust with communities and improving access to care. Her research explores how social and cultural factors shape people’s experiences with HIV and the challenges they face in accessing services.
Midwest D-CFAR Investigators Awarded NIH Supplements
Several members of the Midwest D-CFAR were recently awarded administrative supplements by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These supplements support the aims of the parent Midwest D-CFAR grant and align directly with the national Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) initiative.
Midwest D-CFAR Awards Inaugural Outstanding Mentor Award
The Midwest D-CFAR recently solicited nominations for the inaugural Midwest D-CFAR Outstanding Mentor Award, which honors individuals who demonstrate exemplary scientific and career mentorship to early-career HIV investigators at Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University, and Harris-Stowe State University.
Get to know new WashU faculty member, Dr. Whitney Irie
We're excited to welcome Dr. Irie to WashU! Her research advances equitable sexual and reproductive health care, focusing on expanding Black women's access to HIV prevention, PrEP, and other essential health services. Through community-engaged, implementation science-driven research, she develops innovative, sustainable strategies that help evidence-based care reach those who can benefit most.
Thomas Odeny Awarded ICTS JIT Grant
Thomas A. Odeny, MD, MPH, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at WashU and member of the Midwest D-CFAR, was recently awarded Just-in-Time (JIT) core usage funding through the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) for an innovative project titled Epidemiology of Cancer of Kaposi Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus At JOOTRH, as well as a JIT Enhancement Fund through the Midwest D-CFAR.
Shelly Dalton Awarded ICTS JIT Grant
Shelly Dalton, PhD, Assistant Professor at SLU and member of the Midwest D-CFAR, was recently awarded Just-in-Time (JIT) core usage funding through the Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS) for an innovative project titled ADHD, Prescription Stimulant Treatment, and the HIV Care Continuum, as well as a JIT Enhancement Fund through the Midwest D-CFAR.
Midwest D-CFAR Investigator Examines the Relationship Between Sleep and Pain in PLWH
Burel Goodin, PhD is a pain scientist whose work has helped illuminate a frequently overlooked issue in HIV care: chronic pain among people living with HIV. Learn more about his research and current clinical trial, supported by the Midwest D-CFAR.
Centering Equity and Mentorship: Dr. GG’s Journey Through HIV Research and Doctoral Succes
Dr. GG recently defended their dissertation, marking an enormous milestone in their academic and professional career. We sat down with Dr. GG to learn what this accomplishment means for them, and how mentorship has factored into their growth as a scholar and professional.
Dima Dandachi Accepted to CAPS Visiting Professor Program
Dima Dandachi, MD, MPH, Co-Director of the Scientific Working Group, was accepted to the CAPS Visiting Professor Program at the University of California, San Francisco, which provides intensive training and mentoring to support the development of early-career researchers across the United States.
Thomas Odeny Awarded Clinical Investigator Leadership Award
Thomas Odeny, MD, PhD, MPH received the 2025 Winn Clinical Investigator Leadership Award, which provides salary support, advanced clinical trials expertise, high-impact mentorship, and institutional networks to help participants become independent and highly effective community-oriented clinical researchers.
SPOTLIGHT on Chen Shen
Meet Dr. Chen Shen, an early-stage HIV investigator at WashU. Chen studies the structural mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions.
Meet the Inaugural Cohort of SWG Community Champions
Meet the inaugural Scientific Working Group (SWG) Community Champions, San Juan Caffey Jr. and Jourdan Lacey. The Community Champion Program uplifts leaders whose lived experience and professional expertise strengthen our shared mission to equitably end the HIV epidemic in Missouri.
VIDEO SPOTLIGHT on Beau Ances
Meet Dr. Beau Ances, professor of neurology at WashU and director of the Midwest D-CFAR Clinical Science Core.
SPOTLIGHT on Octavio Mesner
Meet Dr. Octavio Mesner, an early-stage HIV investigator at WashU. Octavio focuses on the intersection of methods and LGBTQ+ health, particularly in non-parametric causal discovery.
SPOTLIGHT on Aditi Ramakrishnan
Meet Dr. Aditi Ramakrishnan, an inspiring early-stage investigator at WashU devoted to improving HIV prevention and treatment services. Discover her journey, ongoing projects, and experiences at IDWeek in our November 2025 feature.
SPOTLIGHT on Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, PhD
Patricia Cavazos-Rehg, PhD, is a professor in the WashU Medicine Department of Psychiatry, and co-director of the Midwest D-CFAR’s Development Core.
SPOTLIGHT on Julia López
Julia López, PhD, is an assistant professor of medicine and early-stage investigator at WashU.
SPOTLIGHT on Anne Sebert Kuhlmann
Anne Sebert Kuhlmann, PhD, MPH, is a professor at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice and co-director of our Dissemination and Implementation Science Core.
SPOTLIGHT on Samuel Kizito
Samuel Kizito is an assistant research professor at the Brown School at WashU, and co-investigator in our Developmental Core.