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Our 2008 research
beneficiaries are the Harvard
School of Public Health AIDS
Initiative and the AIDS
Research Institute at the
University of California/San
Francisco, two the of the world’s top AIDS research institutes; conducting
innovative research into new
treatments with the potential
to save millions of lives in
Africa and Asia; and providing
the critically needed training
for a new generation of African
health professionals.
Our three New
York State service providers,
AIDS Community
Services of Western New York;
AIDS Rochester;
AIDS Community
Resources, serving Central
New York, provide life-saving
counseling, disease management
skills, prevention programs
and housing assistance for people
with HIV/AIDS here at home.
Learn more about
their work, or click on their
logos to access each organization's
website.
Harvard
AIDS Initiative
The Harvard School
of Public Health AIDS Initiative
(HAI) is dedicated to research
and education to end the AIDS
epidemic in
Africa and developing countries.
Much of HAI’s
current work is done in the
southern African country of
Botswana, which has the second
highest rate of HIV infection
in the world: approximately
24%, or one in four adults,
is HIV-positive.
In the face
of this national crisis, Botswana
announced in 2001 that it would
provide antiretroviral (ARV)
therapy free of charge to all
qualifying patients. This initiative,
without precedent in Africa,
posed a significant challenge
to Botswana’s already overburdened
healthcare system.
With the help
of HAI and others, Botswana
now provides free ARVs to 90%
of the people who need them.
HAI has been instrumental in
helping to scale-up treatment
programs by training doctors,
nurses and healthcare workers.
Together, HAI
and the Government of Botswana
built the Botswana-Harvard HIV
Reference Laboratory, a state-of-the-art
research and monitoring facility
in the capital city of Gaborone.
The lab processes thousands
of blood samples a day, providing
the high-volume testing and
monitoring required for large
scale-HIV interventions. In
addition, scientists at the
lab conduct pioneering HIV research,
with practical applications
for Botswana and the rest of
Africa.
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Dr. Sheila Tlou and Dr. Max Essex |
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HAI is lead
by Dr. Max Essex, an internationally
recognized leader in HIV/AIDS
research. Essex has been involved
in AIDS research since the start
of the epidemic. His work includes
groundbreaking contributions
to the pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS,
the means of transmission, and
the identification of biological
markers of HIV. Max Essex is
committed to working with and
training African scientists
and has established innovative
research collaborations in Senegal,
Tanzania and Botswana. Young
researchers from developing
countries train at the Essex
lab in Boston.
HAI’s current efforts focus
on finding the most effective
drug regimens for treating patients,
the increasing problem of drug
resistance, and new interventions
to prevent mother-to-child transmission
of HIV.
Funds raised by ESAR riders
will be used for HAI’s research
in the prevention and treatment
of HIV/AIDS in Africa.
AIDS
Research Institute at UCSF
The AIDS Research
Institute (ARI) coordinates
and integrates all AIDS research
activities at the University
of California, San Francisco.
The ARI stimulates innovation
and supports interdisciplinary
collaboration aimed at all aspects
of the epidemic domestically
and around the world. Bringing
together hundreds of scientists
and more than 50 programs from
throughout the university and
affiliated labs and institutions,
and working in close collaboration
with affected communities, the
ARI is one of the premier AIDS
research entities in the world.
Funds raised by
the Breakthrough Riders will
go to the ARI’s Breakthrough
Fund which provides seed money
to be strategically invested
in promising research at its
earliest stages—innovative projects
that lead to the kinds of breakthroughs
that make a tremendous difference
in the fight against HIV/AIDS,
such as life-saving protease
inhibitors whose initial discovery
was made here at UCSF by our
own Charles Craik Laboratory.
These drugs form the cornerstone
of the “cocktail” that has prolonged
thousands of lives since the
mid-1990s. The Breakthrough
Fund enables cutting-edge research
that will eventually stop AIDS.
Help us build a team to accomplish
the most important breakthrough
of all – a cure to AIDS.
Mission Statement
The AIDS Research Institute
at UCSF is committed to fostering
innovative and integrated science—basic,
clinical, prevention, and policy
research—to prevent, understand,
treat, and someday cure HIV
infection; rapid dissemination
of our findings; and training
new scientists to continue working
toward our ultimate goal of
ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
AIDS Community Resources
Through its staff and volunteers, AIDS Community Resources responds to
the AIDS epidemic by working to: • Prevent the incidence of HIV infection
• Enhance the quality of life for people infected with/affected by HIV/AIDS
• Collaborate in communities to address HIV/AIDS-related needs
• in the Central, Northern, and Mohawk Valley regions of New York State
• Facilitate access to available resources and End discrimination
AIDS Rochester
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The Women's Support Group |
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Founded in 1983,
AIDS Rochester, Inc. is a nonprofit
agency leading a compassionate
community effort within the
eight-county Finger Lakes region.
They provide a continuum of
programs and services including
education, prevention, advocacy
and non-medical services to
those infected with and affected
by HIV/AIDS.
AIDS Community Services
AIDS Community Services is a not-for-profit community-based organization committed to ending the AIDS epidemic and minimizing its effects in the eight counties of Western New York. We provide medical, supportive and prevention services in a comprehensive model that encourages individuals to take responsibility for their health and quality of life. We are committed to developing partnerships with other providers to develop and maintain healthy communities. This mission is derived from our core values that include: Access; Communication; Confidentiality; Innovation & Change; Personal Responsibility; Professionalism; Quality Services and Respect for Diversity
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