This space honors individuals who have recently passed away and who made significant contributions to national HIV policies and programs.
We Remember
Janet Cleveland
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
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.
Deborah Lebel
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
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.
Dr. Adaora Adimora
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.
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.