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AIDS 2012 Draws Thousands to Nation's Capitol

UCSF's Diane Havlir Co-Chairs International Conference

Bill and Hillary Clinton, Sharon Stone, Kathleen Sebelius, Bill Gates and Elton John are a few of the headliners to speak this week at AIDS 2012, the XIX International AIDS Conference, which runs through July 27 in Washington, D.C.

UCSF is well represented with faculty and writers who are attending the conference and offering their commentary on AIDS 2012, the first Unviersity blog launched and produced by University Relations.

Diane Havlir, MD, professor of medicine at UCSF and the chief of the UCSF Division of HIV/AIDS and Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH), is serving as co-chair of AIDS 2012, the XIX international AIDS Conference. The conference returned to the U.S. after a 22-year absence.

The International AIDS Conference is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance to assess the progress and challenges ahead, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learned, and collectively chart a course forward, according to the International AIDS Society.

Here are a few scenes from Sunday, the opening day.

Photos by Jason Bardi

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At the opening session of AIDS 2012, an audience member watches a video tribute to the late Elizabeth Taylor, who championed research and treatment to address the AIDS epidemic early on.
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California Congresswoman Barbara Lee and former Ambassador Mark Dybul speak at a press conference before the opening session of AIDS 2012.
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International AIDS Society Conference International Chair Elly Katabira introduces U.S. Conference Chair Diane Havlir, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the chief of the UCSF Division of HIV/AIDS and Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, at the opening session of AIDS 2012.
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Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray welcomes the audience to the nation's capitol at the opening session of AIDS 2012.
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The D.C. Gay Men's Chorus sings in the opening session of AIDS 2012.
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A crowd of thousands ascends to the grand hall at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, where the opening session was held.
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Chief Tayak and the Piscataway Nation of American Indians, who have lived in the Maryland-D.C.-Virginia area for 12,000 years, gives a blessing at the opening session of AIDS 2012, XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C.
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Actress Sharon Stone begins the opening session of AIDS 2012 by presenting the Elizabeth Taylor award.
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UNAIDS Director Michele Sidibe shares the stage with Florence Uche Ignatius, left, and her daughter Ebube Francais Taylor at the opening session of AIDS 2012.
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U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius delivers the keynote address at the opening session of AIDS 2012. She said the Affordable Care Act is a cornerstone to the nation's AIDS strategy.
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A panel of the AIDS quilt, depicting lives lost to the disease, decorates the grand hall in the D.C. Convention Center where the opening session of AIDS 2012 is held.

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