This year, at The Fenway Institute (TFI), we faced profound challenges alongside moments of extraordinary perseverance. Through it all, our community – researchers, participants, educators, clinicians, advocates, partners, and friends – remained unwavering. Because of that grit and tenacity, our work didn’t pause. It moved forward. It is with immense pride in our incredible staff and faculty that we met the challenges head-on, remaining laser-focused on our core mission. In deep gratitude for that commitment, we are pleased to share these select highlights with you.
OUR VOICES WERE LOUD: Local Roots & Global Reach
TFI researchers continued to produce rigorous, field-shaping science that resonates locally, nationally, and globally. This year alone, our faculty published more than 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts in high-impact journals, with work appearing in The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and many others.
A major highlight came on October 30, when TFI Co-Chair Ken Mayer, MD, and Linda-Gail Bekker, MD, of the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation gathered co-authors and colleagues at Fenway Health to launch the global dissemination of The Lancet Special Series on Innovations in Sexual and Reproductive Health. This ambitious series united collaborators across continents and sectors, offering a timely, comprehensive, and profound portrait of sexual and reproductive health and healthcare worldwide. The launch was reprised in Cape Town, South Africa on December 11th.
At the International AIDS Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, Dr. Mayer presented findings from The Lancet Special Series and shared the first human data from the Phase II study of MK-8527, a monthly oral PrEP candidate. He also presented a comprehensive review of doxy-PEP for STI prevention at IDWeek in Atlanta.
TFI Co-Chair Jennifer Potter, MD, continued to find new ways to support the clinical skills development and overall well-being of medical trainees, even beyond her responsibilities as co-chair, Fellowship Director, and interim director of the Division of Education & Training. Her work was honored with the 2025 HMS Scholarly Engagement Excellence in Mentoring Award. She was also senior author on an article describing a national model for medical student peer support.
Abigail Batchelder, PhD, MPH’s leadership was also recognized. In November, Victory Programs, a longtime community partner, named her a Victory Pathbuilder, honoring her enduring commitment to equity-driven, community-centered work. She has begun building a robust program in Behavioral Health Equity at Boston University, already producing influential scholarship addressing stigma, mental health, and HIV outcomes. She continues to be a driving force in substance use and HIV prevention research.
The Education and Policy teams also deepened partnerships with Massachusetts government and community organizations. On the policy front, Sean Cahill, PhD, in collaboration with the Boston Foundation’s Equality Fund, co-authored the 2025 LGBTQ+ People in Massachusetts Report, offering a data-rich portrait that challenges stereotypes and affirms lived experience. Dr. Cahill was also critical in helping to inform our community on the impacts of June Federal tax and budget legislation on LGBTQIA+ individuals and families. TFI was invited to join critical listening sessions with both Representative Ayanna Pressley and Senator Elizabeth Warren on the impacts of federal research cuts. In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), TFI developed a training curriculum designed to improve the visibility, availability, and applicability of educational resources and trainings for healthcare professionals serving the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition, Lisa Krinsky, MSW, partnered with the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ+ Aging to develop the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, shaping the future of LGBTQ+ aging policy statewide.
Biomedical Research Program
TFI continues to be a key player in the fight against HIV, contributing to landmark research that informs policy and practice. In PrEP research, the biomedical team recently launched two studies representing important advances in HIV prevention. We are the only site in New England for PURPOSE 365, a study examining the safety and efficacy of a once-yearly intramuscular injection of LEN and REV UP, a study of a rectal douche that may protect against HIV. These are exciting possibilities for Fenway patients, as intramuscular injections are less likely to cause uncomfortable nodules than currently approved subcutaneous injections or prefer a topical approach to HIV prevention.
TFI has also enrolled its first participant in a study examining a promising combination of broadly neutralizing antibodies to assess their safety and tolerability for HIV prevention. Identifying and testing new prevention options for our diverse patient populations is one of the ways TFI helps ensure Fenway Health remains the Provider of Choice for our community.
Across our biomedical portfolio, we enrolled more than 215 new participants in studies exploring novel HIV and STI prevention strategies, innovative diagnostics, and new approaches to measuring antiretroviral adherence. TFI’s Associate Medical Research Director, Taimur Khan, MD, has been sharing this work widely. For example, he presented results from the PILLAR study at the international Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. The study, in which Fenway Health was one of 17 national sites, demonstrated that long-acting cabotegravir for PrEP had 100% effectiveness through 12 months, with zero cases of HIV acquisition. These findings reinforced the feasibility of CAB-LA implementation in real-world settings.
Behavioral Science Research Program (BSRP)
Our behavioral health program also thrived, enrolling more than 120 participants in cutting-edge interventions. BSRP studies this year ranged from a proof-of-concept virtual reality project for people who use drugs, to alcohol intake reduction, to using music to help treat chronic pain in people living with HIV.
Two long-running smoking cessation studies (QUIT and Algorithm), led by Conall O’Cleirigh, PhD, have recently concluded, with several manuscripts in development. We hope to study implementation of the QUIT program at a community health center in the coming year.
Dr. Abigail Batchelder has completed primary analyses for her iSTRIVE study, which created and tested a mobile health application designed to help people living with HIV and a history of drug use overcome barriers to optimal care engagement. Peter Chai, MD, MS’s team continues to develop new technologies to support challenges around PrEP and ART adherence in the context of mental health, food insecurity, and other social and structural barriers that drive the HIV epidemic. These efforts include smartphone-based tools to better support people taking PrEP or HIV treatment when life challenges interfere.
Data & Epidemiology
We continue to participate in large data networks, including those focused on HIV, the NIH-funded CNICS and NA-ACCORD, and the PCORI-funded ADVANCE, focusing on people accessing care in FQHC’s. These networks create a rich resource for investigators around the globe and amplify the scientific, clinical, and public health impact of research and clinical data we collect. We have some participants in our data studies who have been contributing their data for over 20 years!
Under the leadership of Katie Biello, PhD, MPH, PrEP for Health has entered its 5th year at ACCESS: Drug User Health Program in Cambridge. This project investigates a short behavioral program for people who inject drugs, delivered by trained PrEP Navigators in syringe service programs. It aims to help people start PrEP and keep taking it by improving HIV and PrEP knowledge, increasing motivation and confidence to use PrEP, and reducing barriers to access and use. The team is currently in the process of conducting follow-up assessments with the remaining participants throughout their one-year study duration, and starting to conduct analysis based on baseline data. Sari Reisner, ScD, MA, has continued to leverage Fenway Health and national data to publish many important articles on transgender health, leading work in this space at a time when it is so needed.
Division of Education & Training
This year brought major change to the Division of Education & Training. Alex Keuroghlian, MD, stepped down as Director, and we celebrated, with profound gratitude, his more than a decade of leadership, service, and educational innovation. Dr. Jennifer Potter expanded her leadership roles, serving as Interim Director of the Division of Education & Training and the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center, as well as Interim Dean for Students at Harvard Medical School.
Under Dr. Potter’s leadership, the Division continued to be highly productive. With 28 completed contracts, the team delivered 42 virtual trainings, 29 train-the-trainer sessions, six learning needs assessments, and 21 e-learning modules. Despite significant headwinds facing the LGBTQIA+ community, TFI’s educational reach expanded nationwide and globally. The Education Center engaged more than 13,000 learners across all 50 U.S. states and more than 170 countries.
The LGBTQIA+ Aging Project was a powerhouse, hosting more than 15 training sessions, 12 monthly roundtables, and over 25 conference and webinar presentations. Its annual Pride and Progress Conference welcomed 200 participants from 25 states.
In today’s political climate, this level of visibility and commitment to LGBTQ+ health education is nothing short of remarkable.
COMMUNITY AT OUR CORE
Our work is only possible because of the people who participate in this bold research enterprise—as advisors, reviewers, and research participants. This year, they showed up in extraordinary ways.
On December 3, the Boston HIV Clinical Trials Unit Community Advisory Board hosted its annual gathering at The Pryde Community Center in Hyde Park during World AIDS Day and Getting to Zero Week. The evening honored history and looked ahead, beginning with recognition of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, followed by a screening of Someone You Know and Love.
Research participants shared lived experiences, and a panel of research professionals explored where HIV research has been, where it stands today, and where it’s headed next. The result was dialogue, connection, and renewed purpose.
CHALLENGES & RESOLVE
This year brought real and painful challenges. Executive Orders resulted in the loss of millions of dollars in funding through the revocation of grants as part of a targeted attack on our communities, science, and evidence-based care. We were asked to pause or stop projects deeply valued by our community. Heightened concerns about federal scrutiny from a collaborating institution also led to the abrupt postponement of our flagship Advancing Excellence in Transgender Health Conference. We are working to reschedule it for the spring, but its postponement was a setback – a sign of the times.
Still, TFI remains steadfast. High-quality, science-driven medicine and life-saving care are worth studying, teaching, and defending. We will continue to do so.
STILL, WE GROW
Even amid uncertainty, our people continue to lead.
We welcomed new faculty member Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz, PhD, an activist-academic whose work centers community-engaged HIV prevention among Latinx communities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
Kevin Smith, PhD, Associate Director of Research Operations, was appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor at UNC–Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and has begun serving as Principal Investigator on several pharma-sponsored trials.
Our Kenneth H. Mayer Fellows launched the year strong:
- Deja Clement, MPH, PhD, initiated Project We-Rise and secured a CIRA Community Pilot Grant focused on opioid use disorder treatment and PrEP uptake among Black women.
- Elliot Weinstein, MPH, PhD, will begin recruiting for his pilot study Sleeping SONDly in early January and was selected to serve as Institutes Chair within ABCT for 2026–2029.
Our 2025 HMS–Fenway Health LGBTQIA+ Health Fellow is Jonathan Hanson, MD, whose projects include creating LGBTQIA+ health “Chalk Talks” and using PICCK tools to assess reproductive goals of AFAB patients.
Together, these accomplishments reflect research and clinical training programs rooted in mentorship, rigor, equity, and hope.
LOOKING AHEAD
As we move into 2026, we will continue to be loud, be visible, and help Fenway Health translate our work into meaningful improvements in health and well-being.
Thank you for being part of The Fenway Institute community. The work continues.