Fueling HIV research: Reflecting on one year of the Midwest D-CFAR’s HIP seminar series
This summer marks the Midwest D-CFAR’s one year anniversary. Over the course of our first year, we hosted eleven HIV Works in Progress (HIP) seminars! As we enter our next year of programming, we would like to highlight the HIP seminar as one of the key resources the Midwest D-CFAR offers to HIV/AIDS investigators across the research pipeline.
The HIP seminar is designed to foster mentoring and peer-to-peer connections among emerging HIV investigators, supporting their career development and helping them successfully obtain their first R01 awards. The audience includes early-stage investigators (ESIs) from WashU, Saint Louis University, and other regional institutions engaged in HIV research. Emerging investigators are invited to present a current HIV-related research project or grant proposal. They receive expert feedback on their work from peer researchers, as well as senior investigators.
ESIs who presented at the HIP seminar this year believed it was worth their time. “Presenting at HIP was a truly helpful experience that left me feeling both grounded and energized for my research,” Julia López, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at WashU, stated. “I think the space that HIP provided me with was just what I needed to share my work in a supportive environment, all while receiving invaluable feedback from seasoned researchers who genuinely are interested in supporting the work of ESIs and grasp the intricacies of HIV medicine and its impact on the community.”
Octavio Mesner, PhD, assistant research professor at WashU who presented at the December 2024 HIP session, appreciated the sense of community it provided. “Presenting my ongoing work at the HIV Works in Progress seminar was invaluable,” Messner said. “The feedback I received on the presentation strengthened the following manuscript submission, but more importantly, the seminar connected me with a community of passionate, brilliant researchers.”
In addition to featuring works-in-progress from emerging HIV investigators, the HIP seminars also include “mentor talks” from senior investigators. Topics covered in the first year ranged from writing a successful specific aims page to building resilience in academic to dismantling unjust power dynamics in research. Richard Grucza, PhD, professor at Saint Louis University and co-director of the Midwest D-CFAR Developmental Core, emphasized the value of the HIP seminar for emerging and established researchers alike. “I think the seminars have provided a wealth of information from both established faculty members and rising scholars on both the science and grantsmanship of current research in HIV and adjacent areas.” Grucza regularly encourages postdocs and junior faculty members to attend the seminars, finding them valuable to support professional development.
We welcome any of our members to present at an HIP seminar! Please fill out this brief form to let us know you are interested.
A list of all presentations to date can be found here.
Written by Kate Gershwin. Edited by April Houston.