Information for Presenters: Invited Session Presenters | Oral Abstract Presenters | Themed Discussion Presenters | Poster Presenters
Named Lecture Archive: For a list of previous Bernard Fields, N’Galy-Mann, and Martin Delaney Lecturers, see the Named Lecture Archive.
The scientific program comprises various styles of presentations and sessions, each offering a unique opportunity to amass new and important scientific information. Descriptions of the presentation and session types appear below.
The Bernard Fields Lecture is named after the renowned virologist Bernard N. Fields. Bernard N. Fields was a leader in viral pathogenesis, an area of medicine that, during his time, spanned from the development of the smallpox vaccine to the HIV pandemic. Dr Fields strongly emphasized the importance of basic research in clinical practice and in helping define molecular parameters that affect disease. In 1994, Dr Fields authored a pivotal paper titled AIDS: time to turn to basic science. In this paper, he developed the “marching orders” for AIDS researchers, and much of what we do at CROI, linking basic science to the clinic, the bedside, and to populations of the world, continues to follow those orders. An invitation to the Bernard Fields lecture is one of the greatest honors CROI can bestow to a colleague that has made basic and often transformational contributions to HIV/AIDS research. See Previous Bernard Fields Lecturers
The N’Galy-Mann Lecture is named after Dr Bosenge N’Galy, a Congolese physician, and Jonathan Mann, an American physician and epidemiologist. Their work drew global attention to the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. They were instrumental in providing valuable insight into the epidemiology and clinical course of HIV in African populations. Dr N’Galy went on to become the first director of the National AIDS Control Program in the DRC and was known widely for his work as a clinician and policymaker. Dr Mann became the first director of the Global Program on AIDS, where he advocated for a global response to the HIV pandemic, which located human rights at the center of the campaign. The N’Galy-Mann lecture honors their legacy and is bestowed upon leaders in the HIV field that bring together policy, science, community, and a humanitarian perspective for the policymakers and for the world. See Previous N’Galy-Mann Lecturers.
Martin Delaney was on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic from the very beginning. Delaney founded Project Inform, a national HIV treatment information, public policy, and advocacy organization. Delaney developed Project Inform to address the needs of individuals and their families living with HIV, supplying information to help save their lives. In addition, this saved the lives of people not infected, giving them the information to prevent infection long before PrEP and identification of other prevention modalities. Delaney was also at the forefront of helping people organize advocacy campaigns to convince governments of the need for urgency in developing approaches to treat HIV and AIDS. The Martin Delaney Lecture recognizes the important work of community advocacy and engagement in research. See Previous Martin Delaney Presentations.
A Keynote Lecture may also be scheduled during the Opening Session and is given by a well-known and respected individual who offers insight into any of a wide range of issues (eg, social, political, or financial matters) that affect the global HIV pandemic.
Educational workshops are presented before the opening session on the first day of CROI. Recent workshops include:
Plenary Lectures are a balance of epidemiologic-, clinical-, and basic-science presentations given by leading authorities in the field. There are 2 Plenary Lectures of 25 minutes scheduled for each of the 3 days of the conference.
Interactive Educational Sessions include in a mixture of lively formats such as case-based discussions, point-counterpoint discussions, expert panel discussions, “Rapid Fire” sessions of 4 or 5 short (5 mins) presentations by experts in the field, or symposia of 3 or 4 state-of-the-art talks followed by a group discussion. In addition to the presentations, attendees pose questions for response by the presenters.
Oral Abstract Sessions include leading-edge research in HIV, hepatitis viruses, SARS-CoV-2, and other viral infections and their related conditions. During these 2-hour sessions, speakers present their peer-reviewed research on a specific topic area and respond to questions from attendees in 1 of 2 question and answer periods moderated by experts in the field. Abstracts accepted during the General and Late-Breaking Submission rounds are eligible for oral presentation. Data analyzed after the general abstract deadline are eligible as a late breaker if they meet a high threshold of scientific merit as the selection criteria is much higher than in the general round. A Scientific Overview (or Mini Lecture) may be included in an Oral Abstract Session.
Themed Discussions include up to 4 select poster abstracts connected by a theme. A discussant provides a 4-minute introduction outlining the state of the topic field, and then each presenter gives a brief overview of their Poster Abstract in 4 minutes using 4 content slides (recommended) to summarize the noteworthy results, conclusions, and discussion points. Discussants interact with audience members and presenters to create a discussion that synthesizes the relevant information, covers key points of agreement and controversy, and draws comparisons to related work in the scientific field. At the conclusion of a Themed Discussion, the discussant provides a 4-minute summation highlighting the key information of the Poster Abstracts discussed and posing important questions for future research.
Poster Abstract Sessions comprise the majority of scientific information presented at CROI. Presenters of Poster Abstracts who attend CROI in-person will be assigned to stand at their respective boards, organized by topic, on one of the three conference days. All posters will be available for viewing throughout the in-person conference in the poster hall and in an electronic format (access is restricted to registered CROI attendees during the conference). Abstracts accepted during the General and Late-Breaking Submission rounds are eligible for poster presentations. Data analyzed after the general abstract deadline are eligible as a late breaker if they meet a high threshold of scientific merit as the selection criteria is much higher than in the general round.
The Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by the Foundation for the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI Foundation), honors a distinguished senior investigator whose career has spanned decades of groundbreaking contributions to HIV research. This award recognizes individuals who have dedicated at least 25 years to advancing the understanding of the biology, prevention, or treatment of HIV, leaving a lasting impact on both science and the community of researchers.
Recipients are widely recognized leaders in the field who have not previously been honored through another named CROI lectureship at CROI (ie, Bernard Fields and N’Galy—Mann lectures) and are not current members of the CROI Program Committee (prior members are eligible as long as they were not named lecturers).
Accomplishments of the recipient demonstrate:
Dr Carl W. Dieffenbach, senior advisor to the director at the Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA, was presented with the first Lifetime Achievement Award during the Opening Session at the CROI 2026.
Dr Dieffenbach’s career exemplifies these criteria through a sustained record of scientific leadership, innovation, and impact. He recently joined the Fogarty International Center as senior advisor to the director, following a distinguished tenure as director of the Division of AIDS (DAIDS) at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where he oversaw a global HIV/AIDS research portfolio exceeding $1 billion.
Dr Dieffenbach earned his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Maryland in 1976 and his PhD in biophysics from Johns Hopkins University in 1984, with a focus on virology and host immune responses to viral infection, including interferon biology. Following postdoctoral research at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, he was appointed assistant professor, where his laboratory investigated influenza, coronavirus, and HIV.
In 1992, Dr Dieffenbach joined DAIDS as chief of the Preclinical Therapeutics Group, spearheading initiatives that accelerated advances in HIV pathogenesis and enabled new clinical studies of novel AIDS therapies. He was promoted to director of the DAIDS Basic Sciences Program in 1996 and to division director in 2008.
Under his leadership, DAIDS-funded research played a pivotal role in the development of antiretroviral therapies and long-acting formulations for the treatment and prevention of HIV. The Division also advanced a broad scientific agenda aimed at reducing HIV incidence through vaccines and biomedical prevention strategies, developing novel approaches to HIV treatment and cure, addressing co-infections such as tuberculosis, and fostering partnerships with scientific and community stakeholders.
A major emphasis of his work has been the advancement of long-acting and sustained-release therapies, including approaches utilizing broadly neutralizing antibodies and small molecules delivered through innovative platforms. During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, DAIDS also contributed to the global response by facilitating key clinical trials, including ACTIV-2 (Adaptive Platform Treatment Trial for Outpatients With COVID-19 [Adapt Out COVID]) and CoVPN (A Study of SARS CoV-2 Infection and Potential Transmission in Individuals Immunized With Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine) studies evaluating COVID-19 therapeutics and vaccines.