(BLACK PR WIRE) WASHINGTON, D. C. (September 28, 2017) – Howard University Hospital’s Dr. Sohail Rana in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health has recently been awarded a conference grant of $49,000 from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

This award will help fund the International Conference on Stigma to be held at the Howard University Blackburn Center on Friday, Nov. 17. The event will bring together researchers, medical personnel, community activists, students and affected individuals to explore the impact of HIV-related and other health related stigma, and to highlight research and community programs to combat stigma.

Other major contributors for the event are Gilead Sciences, AIDS Healthcare Foundation and the DC Department of Health, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD and TB Administration.

Please register now for the 2017 International Conference on Stigma at Howard University. Submissions for artwork, abstracts, and scholarships are still open until October 6.  To learn more and register, go to www.whocanyoutell.org

“Stigma is the major reason why the HIV epidemic continues. It is also the biggest barrier to treatment of addictions and mental illness,” said Dr. Rana, conference director and professor of pediatrics at the Howard University College of Medicine. “We are all responsible for this stigma, and we must work together to eliminate it.”

The annual International Stigma Conference is coordinated each year by the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health and Howard University Hospital. The event will feature multiple tracks covering 10 sessions across the day that will facilitate in-depth conversations across a range of topics. A Stigma Art Project will display the works of local artists, and scientific posters will be exhibited.

Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute in Los Angeles will be the keynote. The NIH award will provide scholarships for attendees who would not otherwise be able to attend, as well as assist with speaker travel and other costs. Grant funds will also support sponsorship of a workshop aimed at junior minority researchers, including a post-conference mentoring program.

This year’s speakers are at the forefront of confronting HIV/AIDS and other health-related conditions. The International Conference on Stigma takes place at the Armour J. Blackburn Center, 2397 Sixth Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20059.

For more information, contact Patricia Houston in the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health via phouston@howard.edu

Please email mediarelations@howard.edu for press-related inquiries.

About Howard University Hospital

Over the course of its roughly 155-year history of providing the finest primary, secondary and tertiary health care services, Howard University Hospital (HUH) remains one of the most comprehensive health care facilities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and designated a DC Level 1 Trauma Center. The hospital is the nation's only teaching hospital located on the campus of a historically Black university. For more information, visit huhealthcare.com 

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced four Rhodes Scholars, nine Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 60 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on-campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States.  For more information on Howard University, please visit www.howard.edu.