Don't Wait Till Tomorrow: How to Support Underrepresented Undergraduate HIV Researchers Today From the Voices of...

Undergraduate, underrepresented minority (URM) scholars must be comprehensively supported by the current HIV workforce to lead the future of HIV research. This commentary elaborates on the lived experience and outcomes of alumni from an undergraduate HIV research program and is written by alumni themselves. Undergraduate research enrichment programs for URM scholars are consistently deprioritized, underfunded, underresourced, and scrutinized. We seek to remind our audience of the outstanding contributions made to HIV and public health by URM scholars from these programs, such as the Student Opportunities for AIDS/HIV Research (SOAR) program. SOAR students and alumni report 95% placement in Masters, Doctoral, and Professional graduate programs, 100 conference presentations, and 34 publications within 3 years of the program's onset. Ultimately, this commentary speaks to the necessity of not only supporting URM researchers but also having a sustainable succession plan for advancing HIV research and programming. We recommend incorporating (a) critical health equity curriculum, (b) multidirectional mentorship, and (c) paid labor, which are crucial to tailor to URM scholars for their success and retention in research. Waiting to support the next generation of HIV researchers denies the urgency to respond to this intersectional public health issue-inaction is not an option.