The HIV Crisis in the Southeast: How Vanderbilt is Breaking Down Barriers to Care

Speaker Friday, January 31, 2025

Despite groundbreaking advances in HIV treatment and prevention, the Southeastern United States continues to bear a staggering burden: nearly half of all new HIV infections in America occur in our region. Even more troubling, our rates of new infections and AIDS-related deaths have remained stagnant over the past decade.

What stands between patients and effective treatment? The answers lie not just in medicine, but in addressing fundamental challenges like homelessness, food insecurity, and lack of transportation. This Thursday, learn how one local institution is tackling these barriers head-on.

Join us at 7:15 AM this Thursday at the Boy Scout Center on Hillsboro Road as Dr. Sean Kelly, Medical Director of Vanderbilt’s Comprehensive Care Clinic, shares how his team has achieved remarkable success in HIV care – including a 90% viral suppression rate among their 3,800 patients. He’ll discuss innovative programs funded through the Ruby Gala, which has raised over $800,000 for critical services like transportation assistance, an on-site food pantry, dental care, and harm reduction programs. Dr. Kelly will also introduce the Ruby Legacy Fund, a new endowment ensuring sustainable HIV care across Tennessee, particularly in underserved rural areas.

Time: 7:15 AM, Thursday, January 31, 2025 Location: Boy Scout Center, Hillsboro Road

Dr. Sean Kelly joined Vanderbilt’s Division of Infectious Diseases in 2016 after completing his medical education at the University of Michigan and specialty training at Northwestern University. Since becoming Medical Director of the Comprehensive Care Clinic in 2020, he has launched numerous initiatives that are transforming HIV care in Middle Tennessee.

Get tickets for the Ruby Gala .

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