Last month I attended a White House meeting for National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (March 11). This meeting brought together leaders from across the country and focused on where the response is today when it comes to HIV among women and girls in the U.S. After the event I spoke with some of the panelists and the following video provides a few highlights from my conversations.The meeting covered a range of topics from HIV prevention to research to policy. After Jeffrey S. Crowley (Office of National AIDS Policy) opened the event, Congresswoman Donna Christensen (U.S. Virgin Islands) talked about "What Can YOU Do: Take Action" and among other topics discussed the need for community designed and driven interventions. Next up Gina Brown (Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health) provided an epidemiological overview of HIV and discussed what makes women biologically, anatomically, and behaviorally susceptible to HIV, along with some highlights of the iPrEX and Caprisa trials.

Then there were the following three panel sessions with Q&A:

1. Taking Action Against HIV/AIDS: Effective Strategies for Prevention. Moderator: Janet Cleveland (Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention); Panelists: A. Toni YoungExit Disclaimer (Community Education Group), Cristina Pena (Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation), Barbara JosephExit Disclaimer (Positive Efforts, Inc.)
2. Getting the Help You Need: Access to Care. Moderator: Frances Ashe‐GoinsExit Disclaimer (Office of Women’s Health, HHS); Panelists: Mardge Cohen (Rush University), Heather Hauck (Maryland Department of Health and Mental, Hygiene), Hadiyah Charles (Suffolk University)
3. Social Marketing and Messaging Techniques; Moderator: Mark IshaugExit Disclaimer (AIDS United); Panelists: Regan HofmannExit Disclaimer (POZ Magazine), Susannah Fox (Pew Research Center), Cheryl Smith (AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health)

The event concluded with closing remarks by Tina Tchen (Office of the First Lady).

Again, we encourage you to check out our videoExit Disclaimer with a few brief interviews with some of the speakers. Interested in learning more about the event? Watch the complete White House videoExit Disclaimer