On July 23rd, Gilead Sciences presented The Time Is Now: Let’s End HIV In Our Communities press briefing in Chicago, Illinois.
The event featured a dynamic conversation between the press, Executive Officers from the National Medical Association, Grammy Award-winning artist and advocate Raheem DeVaughn, and leading medical experts from Gilead Sciences. Unfortunately, Black Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV, and experience higher rates of new diagnoses, living with HIV, and AIDS-related deaths compared to other ethnic groups. Black people accounted for 39% of new HIV diagnoses and 40% of people living with HIV in 2022, despite representing 12% of the U.S. population.
This disparity is among Black women, young people, and gay and bisexual men. Last month, at the The Time Is Now: Let’s End HIV In Our Communities press briefing, against the backdrop of the 2025 National Medical Association Conference, top leaders in health, biopharma, advocacy, and entertainment, alongside key voices in the media, joined together for a relevant and unusually relatable press briefing and community conversation.
The engaging program featured keynote interviews and a press briefing with a panel that included:
Newly installed 126th President, National Medical Association and President, Howard University Hospital; Grammy-winning artist, philanthropist, radio host of #1 rated Original Quiet Storm on WHUR, actor, community activist, and HIV Prevention Influencer; Executive Director, Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus. Over 10+ years of experience as an HIV prevention and treatment advocate; Executive Director, US HIV Medical Affairs, Gilead Sciences. Infectious Disease Physician and Executive Director, US Public Affairs, Gilead Sciences, which was moderated by 2025 NMA Women’s Luncheon Keynote Speaker, 2025 Time Magazine Honoree, 2025 NAACP Image Award Honoree, and the CEO of Full Circle Strategies, LLC, Jotaka Eaddy.
Through expertise and personal stories, the speakers focused on the urgent need to educate the community in new ways about HIV and highlighted the critical need of having regular and judgment-free conversations about HIV testing, treatment and prevention options with family, friends, partners, and personal healthcare providers; the conversation including the importance of raising awareness of prevention options, including oral PrEP and innovative new long-acting injectable PrEP options.
“I’ve been on PrEP for the last few years because my doctor, Dr. Hodges in Washington, D.C, spoke to me and educated me about both PrEP and the current rates of new HIV diagnosis in the country. So, this is why I let people know why finding a primary care doctor you can really talk to and learn from is so important for your health and your life,” said Raheem DeVaughn – Grammy-winning artist, radio host of #1 rated Original Quiet Storm on WHUR, actor, community activist, and HIV Prevention Influencer.
Deborah Wafer, NP, PA, Executive Director, US Public Affairs, Gilead Sciences, said the following during one of the panel conversations, “We know that if you treat someone who has HIV, their virus goes down. There’s not enough virus to transmit to another person. So we call that undetectable is untransmittable… that’s one prevention modality. Also, for people who have HIV, if they’re taking medication…we know people can live a long life if they are treated early. And now we have new prevention tools where we know that if people are taking medication for prevention, it can prevent transmission of the virus if they have sex with someone who might have HIV. So, we are excited to talk about this all, because I think in the black community, we don’t talk enough about this particular preventable disease.”
The discussion elevated the voices of each leader’s expertise and their intimate personal lived experiences, with a direct call for action for healthcare professionals and trusted messengers to normalize conversations about HIV, and continue to generate the intentional collaboration of medical providers, community partners, industry experts, trusted messengers, and media to help end the HIV epidemic for everybody, everywhere.
Notable attendees included community organizations such as the National Coalition of Negro Women, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, #WinWithBlackWomen, and the National Black Justice Collective.