Stigma, when associated with HIV, another medical condition, mental illness or disability, prevents a person from seeking evaluation and treatment, disclosing the diagnosis to those most likely to provide support, and following treatment guidelines. Health related stigma destroys human dignity.
Visit the resource page for our Black Women and HIV Project. CLICK HERE
The 16th Annual International Conference on Stigma will be held form November 18 to November 20th, 2025. Our theme is Beyond the Labels: Living and Thriving. More information coming soon.
Howard University has been funded, along with partner nonprofit HealthHIV, to address HIV Prevention in Black Women through a new project entitled, “Black Women and HIV- Empowerment through Engagement, Education, and Enrichement.”
CLICK HERE to read the Press Release
By Karla Scipio, RN, MPH
I didn’t just choose wellness. Wellness chose me—through pain, purpose, and powerful moments that shaped my calling.
I graduated from nursing school during a time when HIV was still surrounded by fear and ignorance. We learned about gonorrhea and syphilis, but trichomoniasis and chlamydia were barely mentioned. HIV was whispered about, if mentioned at all.
I became a nurse, because I almost died during childbirth. That near-death experience shifted my life’s direction. I didn’t want to diagnose others from afar. I wanted to serve. Nursing was the path that allowed me to walk beside my patients, not above them.
