Chicago has never been a city that simply endures; it’s a city that rises. From the ashes of the Great Fire to the shifting tides of industry, politics, culture, and community, Chicago has repeatedly proven that its identity is forged not in ease but in perseverance. Resilience is woven into Chicago’s history, but also into its everyday life. The city embraces change without losing its character. It adapts, reinvents, and pushes forward, proving that resilience isn’t just surviving hardship — it’s transforming it.

This is what makes it the perfect city for the reimagined 10th Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit. Our community is coming together at a time when public health systems need to be rebuilt, and we commemorate the 45th year of the HIV movement — all in my hometown.

Since launching in 2016, the Summit remains NMAC’s response to advancing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) access among communities of color. Yet, over the last decade, while PrEP options continue to expand, our public health funding has declined, health care delivery systems aren’t focused on the whole patient, and our broader public health and clinical experts need a better understanding of HIV prevention and care.

As we convene in Chicago, we are already seeing the impact of our weakened systems. The Chicago Sun Times has reported that “HIV infections are on the rise in Chicago after about two decades of decline, growing 29% between 2022 and 2024. AIDS cases are also up slightly.” It is exactly why we needed to REIMAGINE our Summit.

> Instead of a siloed approach, we are shifting the conversation towards a syndemic approach to HIV prevention with our theme and 5 tracks.

> We convened 20 community, public health and clinical leaders as our Program Planning Committee, for diverse voices to help shape our program.

> Our stellar program offers 70+ workshops and 80+ iPosters across 5 conference tracks to connect the dots across systems of prevention and care, bringing together clinical expertise, public health practice, and lived experiences.

> Over 1,000 public health and clinical leaders from all over the nation will begin a powerful dialog about building syndemic systems of prevention and care that improve outcomes and advance equity.

Reimagining this Summit extends far beyond our convening. We know that many of you that wanted to, could not be here with us. So, I offer you several ways to help transform our prevention landscape.

>Embrace our 6 newly released Strategic Priorities to align with your organization’s efforts

>Reflect on how your prevention efforts align with 2026 Summit’s syndemic theme

>Plan to join us at 2026 USCHA which extends the syndemic theme for building public health systems to a whole-person approach for an individual

Rebuilding is Chicago’s legacy and its promise. Each generation inherits a city shaped by struggle and triumph, and each generation adds its own layer of renewal. Chicago stands today not because it avoided challenges, but because it met them with courage, community, and an unwavering belief in what could come next.

Let’s stand together, in Chicago and beyond, as a community that uses adversity as an opportunity to build systems that center the whole-person.