Laura W. Cheever, MD, ScM

The International Antiviral Society–USA (IAS-USA) has awarded the IAS-USA Lifetime of Leadership Award to Laura W. Cheever, MD, ScM, for her tremendous impact on the fields of HIV/AIDS education and policy. Dr Cheever is the Associate Administrator for the HIV/AIDS Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and Chair of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Dr Cheever is the latest to receive the award, which was first presented to John P. Phair, MD, in 2010.

Dr Cheever was honored on July 14, 2020, at the IAS–USA Virtual 28th Annual Update on HIV: Antiretroviral Therapy, New ART Drugs and Strategies, and the Intersection of COVID-19 and HIV. The IAS-USA Lifetime of Leadership Award recognizes individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to the field of HIV medicine through scientific and academic leadership, as well as physician education and training, to improve the treatment and care for people infected with HIV or other viral infections.

Dr Cheever has many accomplishments that demonstrate her passion for and commitment to furthering the medical care for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and for educating their health care practitioners. Before joining HRSA in 1999 as the chief of the HIV Education Branch, Dr Cheever was a faculty member at John Hopkins University as an assistant professor of medicine, and she continues to volunteer at the Bartlett Clinic for HIV Care at John Hopkins University Hospital. While at HRSA, she has served on the Department of Health and Human Services Adult and Antiretroviral Treatment Panel, helped develop programming for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, and led the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. Dr Cheever continues to advocate for and implement policies that advance retention in care as well as increase existing hepatitis, HIV/AIDS prevention, and substance abuse programs. She has had an impact on the lives of countless people with HIV through her work both in enacting policy and in caring for them directly as a medical care practitioner. The IAS-USA is proud to present her with the IAS-USA Lifetime of Leadership award.

Dr Laura W. Cheever. The IAS-USA honors Dr Cheever, an inspiring exemplar of commitment, dedication, compassion, and grace to generations of physicians carrying forward the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Dr Cheever’s Character. Dr Cheever’s colleagues and peers contributed 3 to 5 words that they believe best describe her. The 5 most common descriptors were compassionate, committed, caring, dedicated, and smart .