Community Advisory Board

BEAT-HIV CAB meeting with NIH program officers and community
engagement investigators at the Annual Meeting, June 30, 2023.

Vision

Our vision is a world where HIV and AIDS research meaningfully involves impacted communities, is collaboratively created, and openly shared.

Mission

As a Philadelphia-based HIV Cure Research Community Advisory Board, our mission is to:

Integrate community involvement in HIV and AIDS cure-related research and clinical trials
Serve as a bridge community to provide input and feedback to BEAT-HIV projects
Foster and maintain communication and partnerships with project researchers in order to promote transparency and disseminate findings in HIV cure research to our communities

Statement from BEAT-HIV CAB Executive Team

We are the Community Advisory Board (CAB) of the BEAT-HIV Delaney Collaboratory. The membership of our CAB represents a broad spectrum of stakeholders who are united in the search for an HIV cure. We are people living with HIV. We are members of communities deeply affected by HIV and AIDS. We are allies united in advancing research towards an HIV cure. Including perspectives of CAB members in the HIV cure-directed research agenda is a critical component of our work. Grounded in social justice and research equity, the BEAT-HIV CAB is action-oriented. Our membership is diverse and inclusive; many of us are long term survivors, come from different walks of life, represent communities disproportionately affected by HIV, and bring a range of perspectives and experiences to help inform our mission. We operate with the core principle that no matter where we come from or what our community of origin is, we all benefit by coming together as one cohesive unit to advance cure research. Many of us have years of experience in community and HIV activism, while others are new to this work. Together, with our researcher colleagues, we focus on the problem of how HIV persists in the body even with the successes of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART). We develop research questions that seek to create new strategies for HIV eradication in hopes of developing a cure for HIV.

Our CAB works in partnership with scientific and medical researchers at The Wistar Institute, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers (FIGHT), who are conducting HIV cure-directed studies in our communities. For 25 years, The Wistar Institute has partnered with Philadelphia FIGHT to provide access to clinical trials and research studies and to promote community health education. FIGHT is leading community-based organization (CBO) with a federal qualified community health center (FQHC). Since 1990, they have provided primary care, community education, research, and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS and other affected communities in the greater Philadelphia area regardless of their ability to pay. This joint community-academic partnership, which we term the Community Engagement Group (CEG), seeks to foster and integrate robust community involvement in all areas of HIV cure directed research and community health education. This innovative partnership of the CAB, Wistar, Penn, and FIGHT is unique and pioneering in the field of HIV cure-directed research. It brings together the diverse experiences and expertise of our CAB members, our project scientists, and our community-based (CBO) health partner, Philadelphia FIGHT, to advance research towards an HIV cure.

William B. Carter, Chair
Danielle M. Campbell, Co-Chair

William B. Carter

It’s a very exciting time in the field of HIV cure research, and it is an honor to lead such a diverse community advisory board of caring individuals. I enjoy showing others just how important the community is to research. Research is so important to show advancements in communication and medicine and to help remove stigma. Just think, years ago people living with HIV were taking hundreds of pills, and now there is an option for just one medication and even to help prevent infection. So you see, community and researchers can work together and that is why I participate in research studies and clinical trials.

Danielle M. Campbell

Being in service to diverse communities of people living with and affected by HIV is a noble calling and has been my life’s work. As WE continue in the fight against stigma, oppression, and other intersectional identities that increase people’s vulnerabilities for HIV, we must remember that people closest to the public health issue are best suited to identify a solution. Black woman and acclaimed poet Maya Angelou reminds us,“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”

Christine Dannaway

I am an HIV positive woman living with this virus for 21 years. I am proud to be on the beat HIV 2.0 cab. I believe that the research and work that the cab has been doing is life changing and one day will bring us a cure as a community together. I am just happy to be involved and being a part of the community Advisory Board and to see things come to fruition. My fellow members also are so great and awesome for everything and all the work and they do. I’ve been on this cab for almost 5 years and I feel a sense of purpose as if I were meant to be there and belong.

Roy Hayes

I have been living with HIV/AIDS since 1984 and became a member of ACT UP Philly in 1987. I am a member of the BEAT-HIV Community Advisory Board and BEAT-HIV CAB Development and Support Committee. I am a Founding Member of the UPenn CFAR CAB and one of the founders of the Bridge Over Troubled Water Support Group over 37 years ago, one of the oldest support groups in Philadelphia. I was the first HIV+ Case Manager at Philadelphia FIGHT and came out of retirement to join the BEAT-HIV CAB. I co-founded Restoration Urban Ministry, a non-profit organization in Philadelphia.

Marcus Hill, B.F.A, Cert. Ed.

As an Artist, Activist, and Educator, Project T.E.A.C.H PEER EDUCATOR. I am always evolving. Our present is a present that must be unwrapped, acknowledged then appreciated daily. We have a duty and responsibility for understanding, respecting, and trusting that everyone is entitled to happiness. Stop, look, listen and learn.

Bryan Kent Hix

I have benefited from decades of hard work on the HIV challenge. Now it’s my turn. I’m involving myself to do what I can for the HIV community.

Rease N. Maddox, MBA

I am humbled to be in a space where I can help bridge the gap between the minority community and the scientists who are working to find a cure. My goal is to assist in eradicating the stigma that plagues our community so members can feel normal when discussing cure related issues and empowered to seek out medical treatment.

Kevin Mathis

Serving five (5) years in the US Navy as an Administrator, along with my twenty-five (25+) years in Behavioral Health, Customer Service, and Outreach, has prepared me to once again be in the fight and stand in the gap for my community. This time it’s the fight against HIV/AIDS. By remaining current on HIV cure research, I plan to debunk conspiracy theories and provide a clear path to treatment for my community.

Jeanette Murdock

I have done many research studies. I was at a community event for HIV/AIDS and heard about the BEAT-HIV Community Advisory Board. I was invited to attend a meeting, and I learned that I can have a voice for my community to help share the importance of community in research – giving my advocacy more meaning. Bridging science and community.

Daiquiri Robinson

“Treating people with dignity and respect should be the forefront of our actions. A kind word or a simple smile can awaken a light of hope in those who are struggling to be heard and seen.” The BEAT-CAB allows each of us to make strides in research by making sure that the community is at the forefront of our thoughts. This has been rewarding since people are depending on us to give them hope.

Frank Scott

At this point and time in my life, I feel I have lived many lives and experienced many things both good and bad. Joining the BEAT-HIV CAB and giving information to the community, helping find a cure so others DO NOT have to experience what I have been through gives me purpose.

Nashid Woodson

Serving on the BEAT-HIV CAB would prove exciting, as investments in HIV research result in scientific accomplishments that benefit over 37 million people living with the disease. I would be proud to use social media to spread any news that could empower those who may feel like they are in the dark.

Amy Onorato
Community Engagement Coordinator

Since coming to Penn in 2010, Amy has been involved in project management in the biomedical research setting. She is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the BEAT-HIV CAB since 2019 and has been a member of the CFAR community since 2016. Throughout her career, Amy has been focused on creative organizational dynamics, with a background in organizational anthropology, project management, as well as photography, and video editing.