This space honors individuals who have recently passed away and who made significant contributions to national HIV policies and programs.
We Remember
Dean Goishi – June 9, 2024
Dean’s contribution to the HIV movement: Dean Goishi was the founder and retired director of the Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team, now called Access to Prevention Advocacy Intervention and Treatment, a California AIDS service organization. Dean was a trailblazer in the fight to include Asian and Pacific Islanders in HIV care and treatment services.
Hydeia Broadbent - February 20, 2024
Hydeia’s contribution to the HIV movement: Hydeia Broadbent was a lifelong HIV/AIDS activist who garnered national attention after appearing on a Nickelodeon program at age 7 to talk about being born with HIV. Hydeia continued working to combat stigma and discrimination throughout her life and appeared on TV and in magazines countless times, as well as in local and national awareness campaigns aimed at educating the public about HIV.
Cecilia Gentili - February 6, 2024
Cecilia’s contribution to the HIV movement: Cecilia Gentili was an Argentine American advocate for transgender individuals, immigrants, and sex workers. During her career, she was the Director of Policy at GMHC (formerly Gay Men’s Health Crisis) and founded Trans Equity Consulting. She also contributed to the CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign.
Larry Kessler - February 1, 2024
Larry’s contribution to the HIV movement: Larry was one of the founders of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts and led the organization for several decades. In 1988, Larry was appointed to the National Commission on AIDS, which was created by Congress in response to inaction by the federal government to address HIV.
ABilly Jones-Hennin - January 19, 2024
ABilly’s contribution to the HIV movement: ABilly, a longtime advocate for LGBTQ+ people, launched the National Coalition of Black Gays and coordinated the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979. Throughout his career, ABilly worked to develop HIV programs for the Washington, D.C. Department of Health and the Whitman-Walker Clinic and was an advocate for disability rights and people who experience substance use disorders. He also helped HIV.gov launch over 18 years ago.
Dr. Adaora Adimora - January 1, 2024
Ada’s contributions to the HIV movement: Dr. Adimora was the Sarah Graham Kenan Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine and a professor of epidemiology at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. An esteemed HIV leader nationally and globally, Dr. Adimora was a leading scholar on women and HIV and a champion for strategically addressing HIV disparities.
Deborah Lebel - April 21, 2023
Deb’s contributions to the HIV movement: As a long-serving employee at JSI, Deborah “Deb” Lebel was dedicated to the development of HIV awareness days. Deb worked for over two decades ensuring HIV.gov grew into the trusted hub for HIV information sharing and was deeply committed to HIV community organizations, advocates, and federal staff working to end the HIV epidemic.
Kirk Myers-Hill - April 4, 2023
Kirk’s contributions to the HIV movement: Kirk Myers-Hill founded Abounding Prosperity in Dallas, Texas to focus on health disparities experienced by the Black LGBTQ+ community in Dallas County. Kirk was an advocate for his community and was a frequent national speaker about topics such as HIV, Black gay men, and the specific issues faced by people with HIV in the Southern U.S.
Janet Cleveland - November 4, 2022
Janet’s contributions to the HIV movement: Janet Cleveland worked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than 30 years and had been the Deputy Division Director at the Division of HIV Prevention. Janet spearheaded HIV prevention community planning within the agency and alongside community partners.
Dawn Smith - October 31, 2022
Dawn’s contributions to the HIV movement: Dawn Smith worked as an epidemiologist, medical officer, and researcher in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of HIV Prevention for decades, where she offered innumerable contributions to research and advocacy for the expanded use of PrEP, particularly for gay men of color and heterosexual men and women.
Nominate an Individual to be Included
If you would like to suggest an individual we have recently lost who has made significant contributions to the national HIV field for inclusion on this platform, please email contact@hiv.gov with the following information:
- Your name
- The name of the individual
- Two sentences about the contributions made by the person to the national HIV field (please no more than 50 words)
- A high-resolution picture of the individual (not a group photograph)
- A phone number so we can reach you for further questions if necessary
If we need to review or edit the submission to follow HIV.gov’s standard protocols, we will follow up as appropriate.