URMC Research Groups, Community Observe 25th Annual World AIDS Day
The University of Rochester Medical Center and its HIV/AIDS research groups, the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the Rochester Victory Alliance (RVA) , have once again partnered with Rochester-area advocacy groups to promote a week-long series of events and educational seminars in celebration of World AIDS Day, set for Dec. 1.
Providing an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV, and to honor those who have died, this year’s 25th annual World AIDS Day will mark the longest-running international commemorative disease observance.
Notable local presentations will include CFAR’s 5th annual HIV/AIDS Scientific Symposium from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3. The event promises presentations from keynote speakers Steven Deeks, M.D., professor of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, and Robert Paul Johnson, M.D., associate professor of New England Primate Research Center, Harvard University, as well as a poster release session.
More information on these and other events, running Sunday, Dec. 1, through Sunday, Dec. 8, is listed below.
Sunday, Dec. 1
Anthem of Life: 13th Annual World AIDS Day Benefit Concert
7 to 8:30 p.m., Third Presbyterian Church, 4 Meigs Street, Rochester
RVA staff and Doing the [Positive] Thing will link up to host this concert, which features performances from: Thomas Warfield, Spark Youth Dance Company, Jimmie Highsmith, Dangerous Signs, Billy DeMetsenaere, Tim Schramm, Timothy Baker, Lu Highsmith and a Chorus of Poets. Tickets are $10 ($5 with a student ID) and available at Equal Grounds Coffee House, 750 South Ave., online, or at the door. Proceeds benefit the MOCHA Center, Inc., which will host an after-party, The Red Party: A Benefit Drag Show, from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at 140 Alex Bar & Grill, 140 Alexander St., Rochester.
Monday, Dec. 2
Unveiling of AIDS Memorial Quilt and Ceremony
4 to 7 p.m., Helen Wood Hall, School of Nursing Auditorium
For more information, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/352806218197763/
Tuesday, Dec. 3
CFAR World AIDS Day Scientific Symposium
10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Class of '62 Auditorium
Steven Deeks, M.D., professor of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, will present “The End of AIDS: HIV as a Chronic Disease” from 10 to 11 a.m.
Robert Paul Johnson, MD, Associate Professor of New England Primate Research Center, Harvard University, will speak on “How to build a better AIDS vaccine: Lessons learned from attenuated SIV ” from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
A poster session follows from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in URMC’s Flaum Atrium.
Friday, Dec. 6
Neilly Lecturer Gerald Oppenheimer Speaks to the Politics of AIDS
5 p.m., River Campus, Rush Rhees Library, Hawkins-Carlson Room
Gerald Oppenheimer, a health policy analyst, epidemiologist, and historian, will give a talk on the politics and ethics associated with HIV and AIDS titled “Death, Stigma and Commitment: The AIDS Epidemic—32 Years and Counting.” The talk, which is part of the University of Rochester’s Neilly Series, will be accompanied by a slide show of the University’s collection AIDS posters , one of the largest AIDS education poster archives in the world.
Admission is free and parking will be available in the Library Lot. For more information, please visit the University of Rochester website.
Rochester Area Task Force on AIDS (RATFA) World AIDS Day Luncheon
12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Diplomat Banquet Center, 1956 Lyell Avenue, Rochester
Registration is required. For more information, please contact Jose Nieves at 585-339-9800 ext. 494 or at jnieves@dor.org.
Sunday, Dec. 8
University of Rochester Student World AIDS Day Conference
9 a.m. to 8 p.m., River Campus, Gleason Theater (Morey 321)
For more information about World AIDS Day or local events, visit D-CFAR or the Rochester Victory Alliance.
For additional information about the concert performance or group sales, email Rev. Scotty Ginett or go to https://www.facebook.com/events/1419084418308809/?ref=5.