Announcements
September 1, 2026
Welcoming Michele Jonsson Funk, PhD, FISPE
We are excited to announce that Michele Jonsson Funk, PhD, FISPE will be joining Epividian as Head of Epidemiology on September 1, 2026.
About Dr. Jonsson Funk
Dr. Jonsson Funk earned her PhD and MSPH in epidemiology from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has built a distinguished
career in pharmacoepidemiology, causal inference, and real-world evidence.
She has been a member of the Epidemiology faculty at UNC since 2004,
directed the UNC Center for Pharmacoepidemiology, and led one of the
largest and most well-regarded pharmacoepidemiology training programs
for the last eight years.
With over 150 peer-reviewed publications across numerous therapeutic areas,
her scholarship includes applied research on the use, safety, and effectiveness
of medications, as well as contributions to methods used to reduce bias in
observational research. She is widely recognized for leadership in epidemiologic
methods, teaching, and public health service.
A Longstanding Collaboration
Dr. Jonsson Funk has been a member of the OPERA Epidemiological and Clinical
Advisory Board since 2017, providing guidance on our research agenda.
Leading Epividian’s Epidemiology Team
In her new role, Dr. Jonsson Funk will join and lead Epividian’s experienced
epidemiology team, including
Laurence Brunet, PhD, Rachel Weber, PhD, Michael Osterman, PhD, and Brooke Levis, PhD.
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Jonsson Funk to Epividian and look forward
to the expertise, leadership, and perspective she will bring to our work.
August 2026
World AIDS 2026: OPERA Cohort Findings
Epividian is proud to share exciting news from the 13th IAS Conference
on HIV Science (World AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
News Highlights
Our collaborators presented new data from the OPERA cohort, demonstrating
that no women receiving long-acting cabotegravir (Apretude) for HIV
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) developed HIV infection despite short
delays in some maintenance injections during more than one year of follow-up.
Why This Matters
Women have historically been underrepresented in HIV prevention research.
These findings provide valuable evidence supporting the durability and
effectiveness of long-acting cabotegravir in a real-world setting, helping
clinicians make informed decisions while improving access to HIV prevention.
At Epividian, we remain committed to advancing research that improves HIV
prevention and care through high-quality clinical evidence and meaningful
scientific collaboration.