Howard University will host its 2026 International Conference on Stigma, a signature community-focused event, Nov. 18-20, bringing together researchers, health professionals, advocates and educators to explore strategies for reducing stigma and improving health and well-being.

This year's theme, “Shattering Invisibility: Let Your Light Shine, Break the Stigma,” examines the experiences of people affected by HIV, mental health conditions, sickle cell disease, autism, epilepsy, and other health conditions, and how stigma and discrimination can affect access to care, resources and community support.

The conference is directed by Sohail Rana, M.D., a professor of pediatrics and child health at Howard University and coordinated through the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health in the College of Medicine. Its programming emphasizes the importance of bringing together research, lived experiences, and community-based approaches to address the social barriers that can affect health outcomes.

Image

This year’s conference will feature two days of virtual programming, Nov. 18 and19, followed by an in-person gathering and webcast on Nov. 20 in the W. Lester Henry (Tower) Auditorium, Howard University Hospital. Pre-conference activities will begin Nov. 17, including a Mental Health First Aid session at 3:30 p.m. and a fireside chat featuring couples affected by HIV at 7 p.m. Registration is open at whocanyoutell.org, with discounted rates available for students.

“The International Conference on Stigma” will open with remarks from Howard University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Anthony Wutoh, Ph.D., RPh, and Rana. 

The day's programming will include a Community Research and Advocacy Forum featuring presentations on HIV stigma among Black women and girls, the experiences of people living with sickle cell disease in Nigeria, and approaches to addressing isolation and improving access to support.

Additional sessions will explore the role of community advocacy, peer support, and culturally responsive care. Participants also will have opportunities to discuss stigma affecting marginalized communities, including people living with HIV and individuals navigating mental health and chronic health conditions.

Image

International perspectives will be featured Nov. 19, with presentations examining stigma reduction in Ghana, Tanzania, and Zambia; the experiences of people living with HIV in Nigeria; and community-led approaches to addressing mental health stigma among university students in Türkiye. The day also will include a plenary session, scientific research presentations, poster sessions, and discussions on sickle cell stigma, faith-based advocacy, and the lasting effects of stigma associated with leprosy.

The conference's in-person program on Nov. 20 will begin with opening remarks from Carla M. Davis, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Pediatrics and chief of pediatrics and child health at Howard University Hospital, followed by a second plenary session focused on the conference theme.

The Rana Family Speaker Series on Social Justice in Health will feature a keynote address, “Go to the People (Street Medicine),” by James Withers, M.D.,clinical assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and founder of the field of street medicine.

The Nov. 20 program also will feature Jared “J” Snow, a nationally touring comedian, filmmaker and sickle cell advocate who uses storytelling and humor to raise awareness about the disease. His comedy special, Life Is Funny, and related online clips have generated more than 3 million views. The afternoon also will include concurrent workshops addressing sexual health and HIV, expressive arts and wellness, and the use of comic art to combat HIV stigma and promote harm reduction, along with the presentation of the conference’s Stigma Warrior Awards.

Notable speakers include Ulysses Burley III, M.D., founder of UBtheCURE, LLC, who will introduce a session on faith, HIV, and the power of visibility. Also featured is Alicia Lucksted, Ph.D., of the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry, whose research on people living with HIV and substance misuse received first place in the conference's scientific abstract competition.

Eunice Esther, a lifetime HIV survivor, will participate in a plenary session. The program will also include Betsy Wilks, clinical branch chief of the National Hansen's Disease Program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration.

The conference will be livestreamed Nov. 18-20, with in-person attendance available Nov. 20 at Howard University Hospital. Social work continuing education credit is available, with 21.25 hours offered.