HAI News

AIDS@30 To mark the 30th anniversary of the AIDS epidemic, the Harvard School of Public Health is convening a major international symposium. The two-day event, AIDS@30: Engaging to End the Epidemic, begins on World AIDS Day, December 1, at Harvard University. AIDS@30 will bring together several hundred global leaders in medicine, science, arts, advocacy, public health and government. Participants will engage in a series of panel discussions and interactive events.…

HSPH Dean and Delegation Visit Africa

Julio Frenk, Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), visited Tanzania and Botswana this February, accompanied by David Hunter, Dean for Academic Affairs, and a number of distinguished visitors. The delegation arrived first in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where HSPH Professor Wafaie Fawzi has conducted clinical trials and pioneered nutritional interventions to improve the quality of life for HIV/AIDS patients, pregnant women and children.

The Return of Neo Tapela

By Martha Henry Neo Tapela was born in 1980 at Princess Marina Hospital, or Marina as the locals call it, the largest public hospital in Botswana. When she was 14, the aunt who raised her was diagnosed with breast cancer. Marina diid not have sufficient oncology services, so her aunt had to travel four hours by car to South Africa for surgery and chemotherapy treatments. She later died at Marina.

Training Healthcare Workers in Africa

A good doctor is hard to find, especially in Africa. Although it bears 24% of the global disease burden, Africa has only 3% of the world’s healthcare workers. To address this issue, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will provide $130 million over five years to African institutions in twelve countries. This new program, the Medical Education Partnership Initiative (MEPI), provides funding to help train 140,000 new Africa-based…