In This Issue

I can't tell you how excited we, at the Black AIDS Institute, are to announce that producer/director Lee Daniels will headline our list of distinguished honorees—and actor and former honoree Jussie Smollett will host—the 2016 Heroes in the Struggle Gala and Award Celebration on World AIDS Day at the Director's Guild in Los Angeles. In this issue we tell you more about this star-studded event, including how you can get tickets. We also kick off the first in our series of profiles on this year's Heroes in the Struggle honorees with a piece on former ONAP Director Doug Brooks.

Recently researchers from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) presented results from the HPTN 078 study assessing an HIV prevention strategy that includes identifying MSM living with HIV who are not virally suppressed, getting them into care, and helping them achieve and maintain viral suppression. Also new research from the ASPIRE (MTN-020) study has found that most women using an experimental vaginal ring for HIV prevention reported that the act of sex was largely unaffected by the product. Our friends at AIDS.gov report.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell recently acknowledged that the Affordable Care Act's fourth enrollment season, scheduled to begin today and run until Jan. 31, is a pivotal time for President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement.

Finally, we want to remind you to sign up for the AIDS 2016 Webinar: The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in HIV Prevention, taking place on Wednesday, November 9, 2016; and the AIDS 2016 Update in Baton Rouge on Thursday November 10th.

And whether you vote early or on Election Day, we encourage you to make your presence known!

Yours in the struggle,

Phill