2011 Hope is a Vaccine Awards

The Hope is a Vaccine Award, awarded annually to deserving individuals working in the international, national and local fight against HIV/AIDS, highlights the important work done by individuals fighting AIDS and their contributions to improving HIV care for persons living at the margins. GAIA VF hopes that the award will shed light on the hard work done by courageous advocates, scientists, and policy makers, and that the award will encourage more individuals to be engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS world wide.

International Hope is a Vaccine Award 2011: Dr. Myron Cohen and Dr. Julio Montaner

Dr. Myron Cohen is responsible for the publication of a landmark study in the New England Journal earlier this year that showed that treatment with AIDS drugs, known as anti retrovirals (ARV), effectively prevents HIV transmission. In the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 052 study, individuals who received ARV treatment early in their infection were at least 96% less likely to transmit the virus to their sexual partners than those who started on drugs later. The reduction in transmission is due to lower amounts of circulating HIV in the infected patient, while they are on ARV treatment.

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The GAIA Vaccine Foundation “Hope is a Vaccine Award 2009″ will go to two visionary architects of global TB/AIDS Foundations, for their ability to identify public-private partnerships as one means of solving some of the worlds’ greatest health problems – access to AIDS care -and developing new TB vaccines.

Chief awardees: Global AIDS care visionary Ira Magaziner and Global TB vaccine visionary Carol Nacy

Hope is a Vaccine Award – HIV/AIDS Care Visionary and Architect – Ira Magaziner

More than 90% of the 33.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the world live in developing countries, where access to treatment is limited. For HIV-infected individuals, access to health care is life saving, whether in the U.S. or in the developing world, and there is no one who has worked harder at improving access to health care than Ira Magaziner, former advisor to the Clinton administration and chief architect of the Clinton HIV AIDS Initiative (CHAI). CHAI is working to close the access to care gap in developing world countries by negotiating lower prices for lifesaving antiretroviral treatment, and by working with governments to improve the national health care systems required to deliver crucial medicines. Ira Magaziner makes his home in Rhode Island when he is not travelling for the Clinton Foundation. Continue reading →

AIDS Walk 2009 took place on Sunday, October 25, 2009 starting and ending at Roger Williams National Memorial Park, on North Main Street, Providence. Hundreds of walkers raised money and gathered to walk the 3K route through parts of Fox Point and the East Side in Providence.

Thanks to all who walked with GAIA!!!

The annual Hope is a Vaccine awards ceremony and  fundraiser will be
held June 17th at the Providence Hotel. This annual gala raises funds
to support research on a novel AIDS vaccine which is based on the
principle that the HIV virus has one or many “Achilles’ Heels,” which
are vulnerable to attack by the human immune system. Funds also support
HIV Education, Prevention efforts, and Access to care programs in Mali
and Providence. In addition, the GAIA foundation will present the Hope
is a Vaccine award to the 2010 honorees. Please join us! The awards
presented will be:

International Hope is a Vaccine Award 2010: Michel Sidibé

Michel Sidibé is the Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. He has been the driving force
behind promoting universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care
and support at the global level. Mr. Sidibé is also calling for virtual
elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015. In
addition, Mr. Sidibé’s work has played a major role in reducing the
number of new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths by nearly 20%.
Fewer people are becoming infected with HIV and fewer people are dying
from AIDS, and 56 countries have reported a reduction in the rate of
new HIV infections this year. GAIA VF salutes Mr. Sidibé for his
leadership and courageous efforts to expand access to life-saving HIV
treatment to all individuals who are in need.

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HIV Care for the poorest of the poor

February 2, 2009. HIV Care at the village level.
GAIA Vaccine Foundation has received permission from the Malian
national AIDS agencies to establish the first HIV care TB/HIV outreach
program in a village clinic, located in Sikoro Mali. The new “Project Hope” HIV care center will open its doors on February 2, 2009.

Treatment
for HIV and TB in peri-urban Mali, West Africa is constrained by
extreme poverty and limited access to health care. Even though
treatment for TB and antiretrovirals is free or low cost, few
individuals are aware of the importance of treatment and even fewer
have access to the centers where these lifesaving medications are
distributed. Currently, only 18,000 of the estimated 180,000 Malians
living with HIV infection have access to HIV care. Continue reading →

November 24, 2008 (Providence, RI)
– In celebration of World AIDS Day, the Global Alliance to Immunize
against AIDS (GAIA) Vaccine Foundation will honor the humanitarian work
of seven noted HIV/AIDS advocates.

This year’s award recipients are:

• Daniel Halperin (Harvard University),
  for uncovering the connection between lack of circumcision and AIDS
  transmission and for advocating family planning and access to care as a
  low-cost means for stemming the spread of AIDS.
  Dr.
  Halperin has conducted epidemiological and ethnographic research for
  over thirty years on a number of health and sociocultural issues in
  Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa and other developing regions. Since
  completing his doctoral training in medical and cultural anthropology
  at the University of California, Berkeley in 1995, his work has mainly
  focused on the heterosexual transmission of HIV and other sexually
  transmitted infections. He has had extensive involvement in the design,
  management and evaluation of prevention, care and other HIV-AIDS
  programs, and continues to be actively engaged in collaborative
  endeavors with UNAIDS, WHO, CDC, UNICEF, Gates Foundation and other
  international partners in developing and disseminating policy-setting
  technical consultations, guidance documents, etc. Continue reading →

Application Due date: 02-15-11

Discussion of the proposed application with GAIA staff prior to applying is encouraged (contact GAIA by writing to AnnieD@Brown.edu or to Mali Rochas, at GAIAvfDirector@gmail.com, and please cc Dr.Annie.DeGroot@gmail.com

How many applicants will be accepted

Up to six candidates will be accepted from the pool of candidates. Four
of the remaining candidates will be alternates.The candidates must be
at least 18 years old – rare exceptions will be granted with permission
by a parent.

Group applications (up to three candidates) will be accepted.

The following application details may be subject to change as necessary. Continue reading →