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World-renowned AIDS researchers and doctors came together June 5 to mark the 26th anniversary of the first reported cases of AIDS. On the front lines since the start of the epidemic, the group shared their experiences at a luncheon hosted by the AIDS Research Institute (ARI) at UCSF and the UCSF Office of Gift Planning for Bay Area estate planning professionals. Read about their presentations below.
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| From left: John Greenspan, BDS, PhD; Paul Volberding, MD; Nancy Padian, PhD; Steve Morin, PhD; Malcolm John, MD; Jay Levy, MD |
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Jay Levy
Jay Levy, pioneer AIDS and cancer researcher, remembers the day in 1981 when a former student introduced him to a patient suffering from Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that indicates AIDS. "We had been looking for a human virus that causes cancer," he recalled. Instead he ended up co-discovering HIV.
Now he's focused on finding a long-term answer to the virus. "The solution," he said, "is to boost our immunity to the virus and to develop a vaccine."
Nancy Padian
ARI Director of International Research Nancy Padian focuses on Africa, where 12 million children are orphans as a result of AIDS. "One-quarter to one-third of the entire population of Zimbabwe is infected," she said. "No one there is untouched by AIDS. No one hasn't dealt with death or sickness, or suffered the devastating consequences of this disease."
Padian is working toward prevention in women, both in Africa and in San Francisco's Mission District.
Steve Morin
Steve Morin, director of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, said, "HIV is still a major issue among gay men. I think gay men and women are highly motivated to do something to honor their adult lives and the lives of their friends and families in the gay community. Giving to the AIDS Research Institute would be tremendously meaningful for them, and wonderfully helpful to us."
To support the ARI, contact Alan Beach at 415/597-4982 or abeach@ari.ucsf.edu.
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