HIV care

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can affect your immune system’s ability to fight infections. At Penn Medicine’s HIV Clinics, our infectious disease specialists help you stay healthy through personalized prevention and testing services. Our team provides:

• Education on effective ways to protect yourself from HIV
• Routine HIV screenings
• Access to preventive medications, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), which can lower your risk of acquiring HIV
• Navigation support, which connects you with a health care provider who can prescribe and monitor HIV prevention medications

If you may be at risk of HIV, specialists in our HIV Clinics can provide medications that lower your risk. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can greatly reduce your chances of getting HIV when taken regularly before being exposed to the virus. Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) can prevent infection after possible exposure. PEP is started within three days and continued for 28 days.

Our team can help you access these medications during routine visits, or we can connect you with community resources for timely care. For more information or assistance, you can call a free, confidential hotline.

• PrEP hotline 267-601-5332
• PEP hotline (for Philadelphia residents only) at 833-933-2815
• Lancaster residents: PEP is available at LG Health Comprehensive Care

HIV management for a long and healthy life

If you’re living with HIV, our team at Penn Medicine’s HIV Clinics helps you stay healthy and supported throughout your life. Your care begins with antiretroviral therapy (ART), prescribed and monitored by infectious disease specialists who tailor your treatment to your needs. You’ll also have access to dietitians who can help you maintain good nutrition, counselors who support your emotional well-being, and social workers who can refer you to community resources and assist with access to care, including for those who may not have adequate health insurance.

Those managing HIV and another infection, like hepatitis C, can receive specialty care at the Penn Medicine Co-Infection Clinic, where our providers have expertise treating both infections together. If HIV progresses or new symptoms arise, our medical center’s team delivers advanced medical care and ongoing emotional support to help you manage every aspect of your health. Our goal is to provide expert, person-centered care that helps people with HIV live long, healthy, fulfilling lives.

Research leaders in HIV

At Penn Medicine, our scientists and clinicians are at the forefront of advancing HIV research and improving care for people living with the virus. Our work focuses on developing new therapies, understanding how the immune system responds to infection, and moving closer to long-term remission and cure.

Penn’s HIV Clinical Trials Unit, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has helped establish national standards of HIV care and continues to drive innovation in treatment and prevention. We also study HIV and hepatitis C co-infection, gaining insights that improve outcomes for people affected by both conditions. Because Penn Medicine participates in large, multi-site clinical trials, you may have the opportunity to take part in studies exploring the next generation of HIV therapies. Our researchers are also working toward a cure and a future in which people with HIV can stay healthy without needing daily medication.