Individual | Inducted 2026
Simone Koehlinger has worked for more than 30 years to improve the health of LGBTQ+ Chicagoans through public health research, program development, and service delivery. Her early work included clinical training in Psychology and research roles at Howard Brown Health, where she collaborated with national partners on an NIH-funded study of an HIV prevention intervention. She also contributed to research on a smoking-cessation campaign tailored to the LGBTQ+ community.
As Bureau Chief at the Chicago Department of Public Health, Koehlinger led the development and implementation of LGBTQ+ cultural competency best practices, improving the department’s provision of public health services. During her tenure, she co-founded the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus and co-led the citywide Crystal Breaks methamphetamine abuse awareness campaign. She also served as associate producer of *Kevin’s Room: Together*, the third film in the *Kevin’s Room* series, which aimed to increase awareness and dialogue about HIV and other pressing issues in Black communities.
At the Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago, Koehlinger managed the Suburban Cook County HIV Regional Implementation Group and the Minority AIDS Initiative Targeted Capacity Expansion project. In that role, she worked to expand access to HIV and STI testing and prevention, HIV care, mental health care, and supportive services.
Koehlinger served for 13 years as Chief Programs Officer of AIDS Foundation Chicago, where she was a driving force behind Getting to Zero Illinois, the launch of Chicago’s HIV Resource Hub, the redesign of AFC’s coordinated HIV case management system, and an increase of more than 1,000 housing units for low-income people. She has also been a critical leader of the HIV Service Providers Council, a coalition of local care, prevention, and housing leaders. In addition, she has served on the Protecting Immigrant Families Illinois steering committee and two nonprofit boards.
Koehlinger is known for a collaborative approach centered on consensus-building, shared power, and teamwork. Through these partnerships, she helped build infrastructure that enabled thousands of people to access prevention and care and achieve viral suppression. Her evidence-based approach to HIV and LGBTQ+ health services has contributed to efforts in Chicago and inspired similar work and successes nationwide.