Sign in Subscribe
Epidemics

Five Years into the US National Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) Plan: Key Lessons and Implications for Achieving 2030 Goals

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Five years into the US national Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) plan, it is a critical time to examine what has been learned and what still needs to be studied to achieve its 2030 goals of reducing new HIV infections by 90%. The EHE plan has made significant progress, with 250+ individual National Institutes of Health-funded implementation research projects and the capacity building provided by the Implementation Science Coordination Initiative (ISCI) and 9 regional consultation hubs (RCHs). However, identifying generalizable implementation science lessons requires the synthesis of findings across multiple sites, studies, and/or contexts.

Key Takeaways:

  • 24 papers were published in a supplemental issue of JAIDS, summarizing shared HIV implementation knowledge from multiple EHE-funded research projects, representing work from 111 EHE supplement projects and 7 R01s happening in 40 EHE priority jurisdictions, as well as from ISCI, all RCHs, and federal partners.
  • The 4 overarching themes identified were: infrastructure for HIV implementation research, methods for conducting HIV implementation research with specific communities, implementation strategies to help deliver HIV-related interventions, and training in implementation science for the HIV workforce.
  • Research infrastructure must remain robust to support the next phase of EHE, prioritizing workforce investments for sustainability and partnerships that bridge local innovation with systemic change.
  • The study highlighted the importance of learning from implementation science research to inform the next phase of the EHE plan and to achieve the goal of reducing new HIV infections by 90% by 2030.
  • Dennis H. Li, Northwestern University, was the lead author of the study, with additional authors Maria Pyra and Robin Gaines Lanzi contributing to the research.
  • The study received financial support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA.
  • The research has implications for public health initiatives, highlighting the need for a robust research infrastructure, sustainable workforce investments, and partnerships that promote systemic change.

Statistics:

  • 5 years into the US national Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE) plan
  • 250+ individual National Institutes of Health-funded implementation research projects
  • 9 regional consultation hubs (RCHs)
  • 111 EHE supplement projects and 7 R01s happening in 40 EHE priority jurisdictions
  • 24 papers published in a supplemental issue of JAIDS
  • 4 overarching themes identified: infrastructure, methods, implementation strategies, and training
  • 120 US implementation research projects

Sources:

  • "Progress and Priorities To End the Hiv Epidemic By 2030: Combined Lessons From 120 Us Implementation Research Projects." Jaids-journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 2025;98.
  • Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA.
  • Dennis H. Li, Northwestern University, Inst Sexual & Gender Minor Hlth & Wellbeing, Implementat Sci Coordinat Initiat, 633 N St Clair St, 20-040, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.
  • NewsRx. "Studies from Northwestern University in the Area of HIV/AIDS Reported (Progress and Priorities To End the Hiv Epidemic By 2030: Combined Lessons From 120 Us Implementation Research Projects)." AIDS Weekly. May 12, 2025; p 152.

Read more