Burk-Leaver awarded the Kenneth Greenberg Excellence in HIV Award
Colorado Health Network’s Director of Community Engagement recognized as a national leader in aging with HIV
On October 8th, at Vivent Health’s “Make a Promise” event, Erin Burk-Leaver, Colorado Health Network’s (CHN) Director of Community Engagement, received the Kenneth Greenberg Excellence in HIV Award. Created by the 5280 Fast-Track Cities project in 2021, the award recognizes individuals who have made a lasting impact on HIV advocacy, care, and treatment in Colorado. Burk-Leaver was honored for leading CHN’s aging with HIV programs, which take a holistic approach by combining social, clinical, and academic programs to produce the best outcomes for older adults living with HIV.
Presenting Burk-Leaver with the award was Chris Zivalich, Senior Manager – Policy & Training for the National Coalition of STD Directors, who worked with her on the early days of CHN’s Healthy Aging program. During his presentation, he said, “Erin has the uncanny ability to blend [the academic and community-based] worlds together – to maintain scientific rigor and research integrity while having real-world buy-in and investment from the many older adults living with HIV.”
Thanks to decades of progress in treatment, people living with HIV are living longer, fuller lives. Today, it’s projected that more than half of people living with HIV in Colorado are over the age of 50. That milestone brings new challenges, including higher rates of chronic health conditions, social isolation, and the lasting impact of stigma, especially for long-term survivors who lived through the earliest years of the epidemic. Burk-Leaver recognized early on that meeting these needs would take more than medical care alone.
Under her leadership, CHN has built programming that treats aging with HIV as a whole-person experience. Social connection programs, like the PATH2Wellness (People Aging & Thriving with HIV) program at the Denver and Colorado Springs offices, help reduce isolation and build community among older clients. Clinical partnerships focus on the health needs that come with aging, from managing co-occurring conditions to coordinating care across providers, which is where Burk-Leaver’s iCHANGE Project (Integrated Care for Healthy Aging & Navigation of Geriatric Effects) shines, translating the internationally recognized Geriatric 5Ms framework, into a practical screening and referral model tailored specifically for people aging with HIV. Academic collaborations help ensure CHN’s work is informed by, and contributes to, the latest research on aging and HIV, including being the one of 10 programs nationwide, and the only community-based organization, to be part of the Aging with HIV Initiative through the Health Resources and Services Administration Special Project of National Significance program. Her work has made CHN a model for other organizations and positioned her as a national voice on the issue, with Burk-Leaver presenting at multiple national conferences, including the International Workshop on Aging & HIV, the Gerontological Society of America, the American Society on Aging, and the American Public Health Association.
“I’m honored to receive this award, but this work has never been about one person,” said Burk-Leaver. “It belongs to our clients, especially the long-term survivors who paved the way and continue to teach us what it means to age well with HIV. Growing older is a gift that many in the community didn’t get to experience, and our job is to make sure people living with HIV can age with dignity, belonging, and the care they deserve. I’m grateful to my team at CHN and to our partners across Colorado who share that commitment.”
Colorado Health Network’s CEO, Darrell Vigil, said the recognition reflects the passion Burk-Leaver brings to her work every day.
“We are incredibly proud of Erin,” said Vigil. “She saw the needs of our aging clients, and she built something truly special in response. Her programs have changed lives, and her leadership has elevated CHN’s work on a national stage. There is no one more deserving of an award that honors a lasting impact on HIV care in Colorado. Erin embodies that impact, and we’re thrilled to see her celebrated.”
Burk-Leaver and CHN are taking aging with HIV to the next level, integrating the Healthy Aging program with CHN’s Client Services team. At the Denver office, the Healthy Aging team has expanded to include an aging-specific client services manager and a team of four medical case managers, all dedicated to meeting the needs of CHN clients 50 and older.
The Kenneth Greenberg Excellence in HIV Award joins a growing list of recognition for CHN’s work to support people living with HIV across Colorado.