28th Annual Empowerment Conference
THROUGH THE AGES
Day
Hour
Minute
Second
Friday, September 19, 2025
Xavier University of Louisiana • 4955 Drexel Drive, NOLA 70125
University Center, William McCaffrey Ballroom
Empowerment 2025
CrescentCare’s annual Empowerment Conference is a space for the HIV community across Louisiana and neighboring states to come together to connect, learn, and grow.
Last year, Empowerment Conference featured Sex Positivity, and assembled more than 100 community members to learn about stigma, advancements in HIV science, advocacy opportunities, and more. This year, our conference theme is Through the Ages as we highlight all aspects of age and HIV across the lifespan. This year’s topics will include youth and HIV, HIV and aging, long-term and life-term survivors, and more!
Empowerment 2025 proposal submission has ended.
2025 Conference Schedule (in Progress)
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Registration
9:45 am – 10:45 am
Partner Plenary 1
Presented by: Avita9:45 am – 10:45 am
Partner Plenary 2: HIV in the South
Presented by: ViiV Healthcare11:50 am – 12:15 am
Lunch
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Partner Plenary 3: Keep Being You Program
Presented by: Gilead1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Breakout Session 1
Track A
Breakout Session 1
Track A
Youth Focus Session (title TBD)
Presented by: Trans Queer Youth (TQY) NOLADetails forthcoming.
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Breakout Session 1
Track B
Breakout Session 1
Track B
Find Yourself in the Data: How NORAPC AI Helps You Ask Better Questions
Presented by: Joe Santiago, NORAPCDetails forthcoming.
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Breakout Session 1
Track C
Breakout Session 1
Track C
Project Disrupt – Makers of the Movement
Presented by: Brandon Dykes, ViiV HealthcareProject Disrupt is an immersive experience that seeks to challenge, inspire, and re-ignite the movement maker in us all.
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Breakout Session 1
Track D
Breakout Session 1
Track D
Living & Thriving Through the Ages: Breaking Stigma, Building Understanding
Presented by: Grace Johnson, Odyssey HouseThis workshop explores the intersections of HIV and age, with a focus on dismantling stigma, promoting prevention, and reinforcing person-first language.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Breakout Session 2
Track A
Breakout Session 2
Track A
From Access to Advocacy: Advancing Telehealth Across the HIV & Disability Lifespan
Presented by: Jakeel D. Abdullah, NOAGE & United States International Council on DisabilitiesThis session explores how telehealth and telemedicine can transform general HIV care for those with disabilities across all stages of life, from youth to older adulthood. We will highlight both the opportunities and challenges of virtual care, offering insights from medical, academic, and legislative perspectives.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Breakout Session 2
Track B
Breakout Session 2
Track B
Peer Educators: A Role of Resistance
Presenters: Bernadette St. Amand, CrescentCareBeing a “peer educator” is a well-known and valued role in HIV healthcare communities. For people who are living with HIV and who may also have other intersecting marginalized identities, current United States politics signal the reduction of physical safety, right to self-determination, and access to basic resources like healthcare, food, education, and the right to vote. Please join us for a conversation about how peer educating may be used in our everyday lives as an act of resistance to these political repressions, including discussion of how to assess who may be a good candidate for an educational exchange, what environments are most conducive to this learning, and review of evidence-based adult learning tools.
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Breakout Session 2
Track C
Breakout Session 2
Track C
Implementation and Utilization trends of the EHE Health Models PLUS Program at a Single Agency
Presented by: Dr. Natasha Dyer Eberly, Southest Louisiana Area Health Education Center (SELAHEC), and Dr. Daniel Murdock, Ryan White Services and ResourcesUsing data visualizations, client engagement with the EHE Health Models PLUS Program will be examined, with specific attention to demographic categories including age, race, gender, and site of HIV-related care. Utilization patterns will be analyzed in the context of both the agency’s client base and that of the broader New Orleans Eligible Metropolitan Area (EMA).
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Breakout Session 2
Track D
Breakout Session 2
Track D
Gilead Breakout Session (title TBD)
Presented by: GileadDetails forthcoming.
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Closing Plenary: Aging Positively: A Panel Discussion with Long-Term Survivors
Presented by: Gilead Moderator: Jim Meadows, NOAGEPanelists: Tanisha, Craig, & Keenya
Thank you to our Empowerment 2025 Presenting Sponsors:
