Dr. Laura Cheever Reflects on her HRSA Career and the Future of the HIV Response

In October, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced that Laura Cheever, MD, ScM, Associate Administrator of HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB), would retire at the end of this calendar year after 25 years of federal service. HIV.gov spoke with Dr. Cheever about highlights of her time serving in the role, including the progress she witnessed in viral suppression rates achieved by the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP). In 2023, a record-breaking 90.6 percent (PDF, 871KB) of RWHAP clients receiving HIV medical care achieved viral suppression, compared to 69.5 percent in 2010. She also described the efforts of the Ryan White Program 2030 (PDF, 294KB), which aims to sustain high-quality care for people currently receiving services through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program while expanding efforts to identify and engage individuals with HIV who are undiagnosed or out of care.

Watch HIV.gov’s FYI video interview:

Dr. Cheever highlighted the critical steps needed to advance the HIV response going into 2025, such as increasing engagement and input from community members. She also emphasized the need to connect people diagnosed with HIV to health care services if they lack access. Lastly, Dr. Cheever stated the importance of remembering the common goals that connect people doing this work.

Learn more about HRSA’s HAB here.