News Release: Research, School of Medicine
May 7, 2009
HIV Vaccine Awareness Week Highlighted by Emory Vaccine Center's Hope Clinic Events
The Hope Clinic of the Emory Vaccine Center and its Atlanta partners will host a fundraising bike ride, a radio show and an educational symposium in support of international HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, May 18.
"A safe, affordable HIV vaccine offers our greatest hope to gain control over the global AIDS problem," says Mark Mulligan, MD, executive medical director of the Hope Clinic. "HIV Vaccine Awareness Day is an important annual opportunity to increase knowledge about HIV/AIDS, vaccines and clinical trials. With these events, we also wish to say 'thank you' to our many vaccine volunteers, who make progress possible."
Sistas' Time Radio Show
The Sistas' Time WRFG 89.3FM radio show will host a special broadcast featuring discussions on HIV prevention research and the importance of African Americans in clinical research. Guest speakers will share their experiences as both health care providers and clinical trial volunteers.
AIDS Vaccine 200 Fundraising Bike Ride
Saturday, May 16, 7 a.m. - Sunday, May 17, 5 p.m.
Action Cycling Atlanta's AIDS Vaccine 200 is a two-day, 200-mile cycling event to raise money for HIV/AIDS research at the Emory Vaccine Center. The riders will travel from the Emory University School of Medicine on Clifton Road through the cities of Stone Mountain, Walnut Grove, Social Circle and Madison, with an overnight stop at Camp Eagle Rock in the Oconee National Forest, returning Sunday afternoon to Emory.
Going into its seventh year, the AV200 has raised over $400,000 for AIDS vaccine research. Thanks to its generous sponsors, Action Cycling Atlanta is able to donate 100 percent of funds raised by participants directly to HIV/AIDS vaccine research at the Emory Vaccine Center.
Action Cycling Atlanta is a local cycling group whose members have participated in many national and international bike rides benefiting HIV/ AIDS vaccine research. Bike riders raise money to participate in the event as individuals, relay team riders or crew members.
"Our research at the Emory Vaccine Center has resulted in one of the leading AIDS vaccines currently in clinical trials, as well as other highly promising AIDS vaccine approaches," says Emory Vaccine Center Director Rafi Ahmed, PhD, also a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. "Support from Action Cycling Atlanta and the riders this weekend will help us to continue pursuing this critical research, and we are honored to have their sponsorship this year and in years past. The ACS funds help fill critical gaps in our federal grant funding and provide seed funding for innovative pilot projects."
For more information on the AV200 bicycle ride, visit http://www.actioncycling.org
There's Hope in Our Soul Symposium
Tuesday, May 19, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Hopewell Baptist Church
182 Hunter Street
Norcross, GA
Co-sponsored by the Hope Clinic, SisterLove, Inc, the National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities, Inc (NAESM), and Hopewell Baptist Church.
This educational symposium features Bishop William Sheals of Hopewell Baptist Church in Norcross, along with Reverend Vanessa Sharp of the Ecumenical AIDS Coalition and the Concerned Black Clergy. The program will seek to dispel common myths about HIV/AIDS, HIV vaccines and clinical trials, look at the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Black community, increase awareness of the urgent need for an HIV vaccine, and share scientific information and discuss social issues about ongoing clinical trials and HIV vaccine research. Support for this event is provided by the NIH-NIAID HIV Vaccine Research Education Initiative. Collaborating organizations include AID Atlanta, AID Gwinnett, AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta, AIDS Alliance for Faith and Health, Action Cycling Atlanta, Concerned Black Clergy, Georgia Department of Human Resources, the HIV Vaccine Trials Network Legacy Project, the Emory Center for AIDS Research, National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities, SisterLove, Inc., Someone Cares, Inc., Stand, Inc.
This event is free, but reservations are requested by May 18 to 404-712-9051 or hopeemory@gmail.com. Free parking is available at the church. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.
About the Hope Clinic
The Hope Clinic of the Emory Vaccine Center offers an innovative, community based, and scientifically grounded clinical trials program to address the need for safe and effective vaccines to prevent major global infectious diseases. Volunteers can participate in a variety of research studies to help understand the human immune system, find a safe and effective vaccine for HIV/AIDS, and prevent other important infectious diseases. The Hope Clinic is one of the vaccine clinical trial sites of the Emory School of Medicine. The clinic works closely with the Emory Center for AIDS Research and other local and national research organizations to understand immune system responses to vaccines and to help bring safe and effective vaccines into clinical practice. It creates a bridge between laboratory investigation and society, in which basic science is linked to community concerns. The clinic is recognized for its excellent, innovative prevention studies, its high impact public health agenda, and its active strategic partnerships and service to the community. To learn more about the events listed here and other Hope Clinic activities, please call 877-424-HOPE (4673) or visit http://www.hopeclinic.emory.edu.
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The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service. Its components include schools of medicine, nursing, and public health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; the Emory Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health system in Georgia. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has a $2.3 billion budget, 17,000 employees, 2,300 full-time and 1,900 affiliated faculty, 4,300 students and trainees, and a $4.9 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta.
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