Welcome to the Center for AIDS Research at UAB! It’s an honor to be at the helm of this research center that was launched more than 35 years ago by researchers dedicated to pioneering in HIV research and who played a major role in advancing HIV from a fatal disease to a chronic illness with numerous treatment and prevention options. Throughout this time, the CFAR mission has been steadfast: to catalyze new and nurture ongoing HIV research across numerous scientific domains – and to do this in partnership with the communities we serve.

My own calling into this field was when I began to understand that this virus is as complex socially as it is biologically. With all the advances that have been made, much remains to be done. In our community in Alabama and the Deep South, as well as global settings, we continue to innovate to understand the role of HIV in the aging process and what a cure might someday look like. We are also working hard to understand the systems and structures that create gaps in our ability to provide care and prevention with the tools we currently have. With a focus on these systems and structures, we can not only combat the causes of ongoing HIV transmission, but contribute to closing gaps in health equity – work that will transcend generations.

Through our CFAR, we are engaged with numerous partners at UAB, in Birmingham, across the state and the region, to advance our mission to combat HIV. I’m truly glad to have you visit our website and welcome your thoughts about our approach and how we can work together to achieve our mission. My office – the one in the Bevill building and virtual one – are always open and I look forward to hearing from you.

Renee Heffron, Ph.D., MPH
Director, Center for AIDS Research