Disparities in HIV Care: The Mounting Epidemic Plaguing African Americans

Faculty

Oni J. Blackstock, MD, MHS
Founder and Executive Director, Health Justice, LLC
Oni J. Blackstock, MD, MHS

Dr. Oni Blackstock is recognized as a thought leader and influencer in the areas of HIV and health equity. She is a primary care and HIV physician, and the founder and Executive Director of Health Justice, a consulting practice that helps health organizations to center anti-racism and equity in the workplace and reduce health inequities in the communities they serve. Dr. Blackstock recently served as an Assistant Commissioner at the New York City Health Department where she led the City’s response to the HIV epidemic. She holds degrees from Harvard College, Harvard Medical School, and Yale School of Medicine and is passionate about ensuring that all individuals and communities have the resources and support they need to achieve optimal health and well-being.

Carlos Malvestutto, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Division of Infectious Diseases Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Columbus, OH
Carlos Malvestutto, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor

Dr. Malvestutto completed his Bachelor of Science in Biology at Yale University in 1996 and a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University College of Hygiene and Public Health in 2000. He obtained his MD at Ponce School of Medicine in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 2005 and completed residency in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, NY in 2008 and his fellowship in Infectious Diseases at New York University Medical Center in 2010. He remained on faculty at NYU until 2014 when he moved to Columbus, OH and joined the faculty at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Dr. Malvestutto is Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. He is the former Director of the Infectious Diseases Fellowship Training Program at OSU and is the former Medical Director of the Family AIDS Clinic and Education Services (FACES) program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Dr. Malvestutto is an investigator at the OSU AIDS Clinical Trials unit and is involved in multiple HIV and hepatitis C clinical trials. His areas of clinical research include improving linkage to prevention and treatment care for underserved populations, cardiovascular complications of HIV, new modalities of HIV PrEP, and use of broadly neutralizing antibodies for the treatment and cure of HIV.

Leandro A. Mena, MD, MPH
Chair and Professor of Population Health Science
Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson, MS
Leandro A. Mena, MD, MPH
Chair and Professor of Population Health Science

Leandro Mena, MD, MPH, is a clinician-researcher and public health advocate with expertise in the prevention and clinical management of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). He is founding chair of the Department of Population Health Science at the University of Mississippi Medical Center John D. Bower School of Population Health and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Mena also directs the Center for HIV/AIDS Research, Education & Policy at the Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for Elimination of Health Disparities and serves as the STD Medical Director for the state of Mississippi. He is the Medical Director of the Five Points Clinic (Jackson’s public STD clinic) and co-founded Open Arms Healthcare Center (first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender [LGBT] clinic in Mississippi). In recognition of his work developing a model program of culturally competent HIV prevention and care for Black men who have sex with men, which is being replicated in other clinics around the country, he was awarded the 2016 Achievement Award by the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA). Dr. Mena is board certified in infectious diseases. He is a research fellow with the Rural Center for STD/HIV Prevention (Indiana University). His interests include understanding the dynamics of HIV transmission in racial/ethnic, gender, and sexual minorities as well as the development and provision of culturally competent quality health services to these populations.

Statement of Need

The national response to HIV infection and advances in preventative therapies has meant that there are fewer new HIV infections nationally. Additionally, more people with HIV are diagnosed, on a treatment regimen, and leading longer, healthier lives. However, stark racial disparities remain for people living with HIV. Black and African Americans do not engage in more high-risk behaviors than persons of other races, yet they have the highest rates of new HIV infections. Black and African Americans also have poorer outcomes for diagnosis, linkage to care, retention in care, antiretroviral therapy (ART), treatment adherence, and viral suppression, which has led them to be the most affected population of new HIV diagnoses.

This CME Outfitters Live and OnDemand will address racial and ethnic health care disparities among at-risk individuals, with expert faculty discussing best practices for actively engaging Black/African Americans at risk for HIV, developing treatment strategies for older adults with HIV, and initiating and switching patients to ART based on safety and efficacy profiles, to optimize health and treatment outcomes throughout their lives.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this CME/CE activity, participants should be able to:

  • Actively engage Black/African Americans at risk for HIV in testing, treatment, and educational initiatives.
  • Develop treatment strategies for older adults with HIV to optimize health outcomes.
  • Integrate best practices for initiating and switching patients to ART based on safety and efficacy profiles.

The following learning objectives pertain only to those requesting CNE or CPE credit:

  • Summarize ways to actively engage Black/African Americans at risk for HIV in testing, treatment, and educational initiatives.
  • Explain treatment strategies for older adults with HIV to optimize health outcomes.
  • Identify best practices for initiating and switching patients to ART based on safety and efficacy profiles.

Financial Support

This educational activity is supported by independent educational grants from Gilead Sciences, Inc., Janssen Therapeutics, Division of Janssen Products, LP, and ViiV Healthcare. These supporters were not involved in the development of content or selection of faculty for this educational activity.

Target Audience

Physicians, nurse practitioners, PAs, nurses, and pharmacists.

Credit Information

Physicians (ACCME)

CME Outfitters, LLC, is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. CME Outfitters, LLC, designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nurses (CNE)

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 15510, for 1.0 contact hour(s).

Note to Nurse Practitioners

Nurse Practitioners can apply for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). AANP will accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit  from organizations accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education. Nurse practitioners can also apply for credit through their state boards.

Pharmacists (ACPE)

This application-based activity is approved for 1.0 contact hour (0.10 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy credit. Jump to Activity UAN.
Activity UAN: 0376-0000-21-062-H02-P

Disclosure Declaration

it is the policy of CME Outfitters, LLC, to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of their CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, or with the commercial supporter of this CE activity. CME Outfitters, LLC, has evaluated, identified, and attempted to resolve any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process. The following information is for participant information only. It is not assumed that these relationships will have a negative impact on the presentations.


Dr. Blackstock reports that she is on the speakers bureau for ClinicalMind.


Dr. Malvestutto reports that he is on the advisory board for ViiV Healthcare.


Dr. Mena reports that he receives grants from Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Merck & Co. He receives research support from Binx Health, Inc.; Gilead Sciences, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline/ViiV Healthcare; Merck & Co.; and ThaiMed. He is on the speakers bureau for Gilead Sciences, Inc. He is a consultant for Gilead Sciences, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline/ViiV Healthcare; and Merck & Co.


  • Tony Graham, MD (peer reviewer) has no disclosures to report.
  • Noreen Iftikhar, MD (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.
  • Maria Glukhovsky, PharmD (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.
  • Jan Perez (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.
  • Sharon Tordoff (planning committee) has no disclosures to report.
  • Disclosures were obtained from the CME Outfitters, LLC staff: No disclosures to report.

Faculty of this CE activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. The faculty have been informed of their responsibility to disclose to the audience if they will be discussing off-label or investigational uses (any uses not approved by the FDA) of products or devices.

Obtaining Credits

Post-tests, credit request forms, and activity evaluations must be completed online (requires free account activation), and participants can print their certificate or statement of credit immediately (75% pass rate required). This website supports all browsers except Internet Explorer for Mac.

Questions about this activity?

Call us at 877.CME.PROS (877.263.7767).

 

Disparities in HIV Care: The Mounting Epidemic Plaguing African Americans
Event Date: 04/26/2021