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Past Presentation
Training

Ending the Syndemic – Syphilis and HIV | December 2, 2025

Date of Presentation: December 2, 2025

Type: Past Presentation  Training  

Audience: Clinical  

Keywords: #disease  #elimination  #epidemic  #hcv  #hiv  #sti  #SUD  #syndemic  #syphilis  

In this presentation, Dr. Jorge Mera, introduces the rationale, program design, leadership policies, and tools that may successfully be used by healthcare providers and tribal decision makers to develop and enhance programs to address the syndemic of interrelated disease states of Syphilis, Substance Use Disorder, HIV, and Hepatitis C Virus. Then, Dr. Bethany Johnson, highlights best practices for responding to the rise of syphilis in Indigenous communities. Finally, Dr. Mera reviews screening patients for HIV, having critical conversations, and establishing swift care in primary care for those that test positive.

Recording:

Presented by:

Dr. Bethany Johnson
PharmD, BCIDP | National HIV/HCV/STI Pharmacy Consultant | Indian Health Service

Dr. Bethany Johnson is a member of the Cherokee Nation and currently resides in Yukon, Oklahoma. She recently joined the National HIV/HCV/STI Program at IHS Headquarters as the Program’s Pharmacy Consultant. Dr. Johnson earned her Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Cell and Molecular Biology from Oklahoma State University and her Doctor of Pharmacy from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. From there, she worked as a staff pharmacist at the El Reno Indian Health Center in Oklahoma, growing the clinical pharmacy program by providing diabetes care, tobacco cessation assistance, anticoagulation monitoring, and leading antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Most recently, her role transitioned to initiating and conducting a program focused on HIV, Hepatitis C, and STI treatment and prevention. This new role is where she found her passion, leading her to pursue joining the IHS National HIV/HCV/STI team. In her IHS Headquarters position, Dr. Johnson provides pharmacy technical expertise to assist with case management, prevention, and treatment of Native people. Collaboration with many IHS, tribal, and urban Indian organizations is paramount to her, and she’s available to assist with screening events, educating healthcare workers and patients alike, and helping link patients to care.

Dr. Jorge Mera
Dr. Jorge Mera
Faculty

Dr. Jorge Mera is the director of the Infectious Disease Department at the Cherokee Nation Health Services, the largest tribally operated health care system in the United States. In 2014, in response the HCV national epidemic he launched the first ProjectECHO hub in the state of Oklahoma. This hub was focused on Hepatitis C treatment and elimination and has provided treatment recommendations to over 1400 American Indian/Alaska Native patients with HCV. In addition, Dr. Mera has been instrumental in the implementation of other ECHO hubs across Indian Country. These hubs have focused on COVID-19, HIV, HIV PrEP, infectious diseases, substance use disorders and eliminating the HIV/HCV/SUD/Syphilis syndemic. Dr. Mera completed his fellowship in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and is Board Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Infectious Diseases. He is an Associate Professor in the Infectious Diseases Division at the University of New Mexico, Health Science Center, Strategic Advisor for Project ECHO in Latin America, as well as the ECHO Medical Director for the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board. Dr. Mera is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians.

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Resources Provided:

Date added: October 16, 2025