The American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) announces the third year of the Dr. Dawn K. Smith HIV Prevention Clinical Fellowship, which is funded by a grant through ViiV Healthcare. The fellowship provides comprehensive training in HIV prevention for clinicians who do not practice HIV medicine, and will prioritize programs in under-resourced communities and those disproportionately affected by HIV.
“Over the past two years, the Academy has seen the positive effects of the Dr. Dawn K. Smith HIV Prevention Clinical Fellowship among the Fellows and in the communities where they work,” says Bruce J. Packett, II, Executive Director of AAHIVM. “Through the Fellowship, clinicians have gained invaluable knowledge that helps extend HIV prevention to those who need it most. We’re delighted that we can continue to offer this program, which is a critical part of HIV workforce development and expansion.”
HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication to prevent HIV and is extremely effective when taken as prescribed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PrEP can reduce the risk of HIV from sex by approximately 99 percent and from injection drug use by about 74 percent.1 Even though PrEP is a vital tool in HIV prevention, data highlights significant disparities in its use, especially in the Southern region of the United States and among Black communities. In 2022, 53 percent of new HIV diagnoses in the United States were in the South; however, this same region only saw 39 percent of PrEP users in the U.S. in 2024.2 Further, research indicates that racial disparities in PrEP use continue, with Black individuals making up 38 percent of those newly diagnosed with HIV in 2022, but only comprising 15 percent of those who use PrEP in 2024 data.2
“Ensuring all people have access to PrEP is critical, now more than ever. Training clinicians new to PrEP is a key part of extending this access,” says Angela C. Riley, PharmD, MPH, AAHIVE, director of community and provider engagement. “It has been extremely rewarding working with both the Fellows and their preceptors as we shape the next generation of PrEP providers.”
The fellowship is a 12-month clinical program designed for clinicians who are not experienced in HIV care and who work in primary care, family medicine, emergency medicine, pharmacy, obstetrics and gynecology, and more. Clinicians who qualify include physicians, physician assistants/physician associates, nurse practitioners, and pharmacists. Fellows will perform a mix of clinical work, self and collaborative study, didactics, teaching, and quality improvement activities as well as will access online tools and attend conferences. The fellows will also receive a stipend of $7,500 for living expenses as well as a stipend to support the development of a PrEP clinic in their own practices.
The program honors the legacy of Dawn K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH, a champion of health equity and HIV prevention. Dr. Smith played an integral role in the development and implementation of HIV PrEP and studied the disproportionate effect HIV has on underrepresented communities. Throughout her career, she worked to eliminate health disparities and was committed to ensuring that all people had PrEP access. The Dr. Dawn K. Smith HIV Prevention Clinical Fellowship pays tribute to Dr. Smith’s extraordinary contributions to HIV prevention by training a new generation of clinicians in PrEP and HIV prevention.
Applications for the Dr. Dawn K. Smith HIV Clinical Fellowship are open to clinicians licensed to practice in the United States and can be submitted at: https://aahivm.org/dawn-k-smith-hiv-clinical-fellowship/. The deadline for applications is Monday, April 6, 2026, and the program will begin in July.
