This World AIDS Day, Georgetown University highlights its efforts to expand access to treatment, advance prevention strategies, and shape policies in the global fight against HIV.
HIV/AIDS remains one of the most significant global health challenges. Since the first cases were identified, the virus has claimed more than 35 million lives, and today an estimated 38 million people around the world are living with HIV.
Yet the tide is turning.
The global death rate from AIDS-related illnesses has dropped by 64% thanks to expanded access to antiretroviral therapy, transforming HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition for millions.
Prevention strategies are also advancing rapidly. Pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, can reduce the risk of infection by up to 99%, and long-acting options like the injectable medication Lenacapavir, administered every six months, promise even greater protection for those at risk.
Georgetown University has been part of this progress for decades, working with communities around the world to improve access to care, advance research that informs the next generation of treatments, and develop policies that reduce inequalities.
Slider
Georgetown's commitment to cura personalis anchors our efforts in treatment, prevention, and research. That commitment fuels our determination to help deliver a future where HIV is no longer a threat to global health.
From Haiti to Washington, DC, Georgetown works alongside community partners to expand access to HIV treatment for people who too often face gaps in services.
The Center for Global Health Practice and Impact also works with Friends of Cité Soleil to promote entrepreneurship among Haitian youth who are living with or affected by HIV by providing vocational training and launching microenterprises that create eco-friendly products.
Amid historic cuts to U.S. global health funding, the Center for Innovation in Global Health joined health ministries and AIDS commissions from 11 African countries to outline a sustainable path for HIV prevention. The meeting resulted in several outputs, including a Lancet HIV Viewpoint that identifies urgent priorities for sustainability.
Georgetown is one of nine institutions contributing to the citywide effort to end the HIV epidemic in the nation’s capital through the DC Center for AIDS Research. Several Georgetown faculty members, including Seble Kassaye, M.D., acting chief medical advisor for public health, serve on its executive committee.
Drawing on decades-long cohort studies and emerging data technologies, Georgetown researchers are generating the evidence that drives the next generation of HIV care.
Across U.S. cities from San Francisco, California to Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Represents one of the longest-running data sets on people living with HIV
Combined between MACS and WIHS
Researchers from the Center for Innovation in Global Health, along with members of an 18-member international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral committee, outlined the ethical considerations for the responsible use of novel data and machine learning in HIV research and programs.
Translating research and on-the-ground insights into reforms that protect rights and reduce the inequalities that drive the epidemic, Georgetown’s faculty help shape the systems that determine how countries respond to HIV.
The Center for HIV and Infectious Disease Policy conducts policy analysis to offer innovative ideas for improving HIV care and prevention in the United States.
In a recent report, Jennifer Bouey, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Global Health, examines how bilateral cooperation between the United States and China from 2002 to 2018 helped curb the epidemic in China and advance global health diplomacy.
Slider
On this World AIDS Day, we recognize a year of profound innovation and renewed opportunity in the global HIV response. Even as resources remain tight and needs evolve, we are witnessing extraordinary progress: new technologies accelerating diagnosis and linkage to care, data-driven platforms improving continuity of treatment, and community-led solutions reshaping what responsive, person-centered care can look like. These advancements—and the creativity and determination behind them—give me more confidence than ever that we can build a stronger, more resilient HIV response. The future is not defined by constraints, but by the collective ingenuity that continues to move us forward.
