The National Association of People with AIDS holds its national Healthy Living Summit, previously known as “Staying Alive,” from Tuesday, April 10 through Friday, April 13 at the American Airlines Training and Conference Center in Fort Worth.

The conference empowers those living with HIV to become better advocates for their own health and for that of the entire community. Founded in 1983, NAPWA is the oldest national AIDS advocacy organization in the U.S.

“HIV rates are exploding in the Southern United States,” NAPWA President and CEO Frank Oldham Jr. said in a press release. “As the largest and oldest patient advocacy group for PLWHA, NAPWA is proud to have the opportunity to bring the National Healthy Living Summit to the heart of the South to educate about the steps that can be taken to reduce transmission of the virus and promote healthier living with HIV.”

The National Healthy Living Summit will help promote interventions for the HIV epidemic, with a unique lineup of speakers, including leading medical experts who will share the latest on Treatment as Prevention, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Hepatitis and HIV Co-Infection, and more.

The cost of the conference is $525, which includes hotel, meals, NAPWA membership and the conference. To register, visit the NAPWA website. A full list of speakers and award recipients is below.

Guest speakers include:

• Cornelius Baker — Senior communications advisor and project manager at the Center on AIDS and Community Heal
• Rashad Burgess — Chief capacity building branch division of HIV/AIDS National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention CDC
• Dr. Kevin Fenton — Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention at the CDC
• David W. Knight — Attorney, civil rights division (disability), US Department of Justice
• Pernessa Seele — Immunologist and the CEO and founder of Balm in Gilead, Inc.
• David Vos — Director, HUD’s Office of HIV/AIDS Housing
• David Waggoner — Publisher, A&U Magazine

The summit will also feature magician and motivational speaker Daniel Bauer, who will preview his new off-Broadway show Beyond Belief, which combines spectacular magic with his moving story as an HIV-positive performer.

Recipients of NAPWA’s 2012 Positive Leadership Award at NHLS include:

• Michelle Anderson — 2011 Ms. Plus America, and co-chair of Campaign to End AIDS Texas, The Afiya Center Peer Educator, Public Speaker and board member for AIDS services of Dallas, and treasurer at ADAP Advocacy Association
• Anne Freeman — Director at Dallas PTC Behavioral Intervention Training Center
• Marsha Jones — Co-founder and executive director of The Afiya Center for HIV Prevention & Sexual Reproductive Justice; Also founded Sister’s Strategically Mobilized Around Reproductive Justice Together (Ssmart) and Another Chance Ministries
• Marc Meachem — U.S. director external affairs
 ViiV Healthcare
• Greg Beets – Public information coordinator 
Health Communication and Community Engagement Group, TB/HIV/STD Unit
Department of State Health Services