The Calidore String Quartet
Vincent Pancucci |
Vincent Pancucci is the new Program Manager of Community Education and Outreach at AIDS Research Alliance. His responsibilities include educating and recruiting diverse groups of participants for both National Institute of Health (NIH) and industry-sponsored clinical research.
Vincent has been involved in LGBT and HIV/AIDS advocacy and activism since 2006, and has spoken out on a variety of issues in local and national print and broadcast media. His professional interest in HIV/AIDS began in 2010 when he assumed the position of Clinical Trials Recruiter for microbicide research at Fenway Health in Boston, Massachusetts. In his two years at Fenway, he successfully led community education and recruitment efforts for four NIH-funded clinical trials and also served as the logistical coordinator for a study examining microbicide adherence and acceptability in young men who have sex with men (MSM) of color. In 2012, Vincent relocated to Los Angeles, where he was able to continue working in HIV/AIDS research.
Vincent’s goal as Manager of Community Education and Outreach at ARA is to facilitate awareness and to dispel misconceptions about clinical research among L.A.‘s diverse communities, while addressing the barriers to research participation among marginalized populations, including people of color and transgender women.
Vincent graduated from the University of California, Riverside in 2010 with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a minor in LGBT Studies, and currently resides in Los Angeles with his partner. We are thrilled to have Vincent as a part of our team. Welcome, Vincent!
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The Calidore String Quartet |
On November 30, 2012, AIDS Research Alliance will host the first ever, free, Los Angeles community World AIDS Day concert at The Colburn School (across from the Disney Concert Hall), from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. We hope you will join us, our community partners, and our sponsors for this exciting inaugural event. The concert is free and open to the public, but you must register to attend.
World AIDS Day began in 1987 with a proposal by two officials at the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland (now known as UNAIDS). Today, government and health officials worldwide observe World AIDS Day every year on December 1st to raise awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In different countries, World AIDS Day is celebrated in ceremonies, speeches, and even flash mobs. In 1993, Bill Clinton issued the first presidential World AIDS Day proclamation. President Obama has continued these proclamations each year of his presidency, and during last year’s World AIDS Day, he called for an “AIDS free generation.”
This year’s World AIDS Day theme, “Getting to Zero,” selected by the World AIDS Campaign to be used until 2015, emphasizes zero new infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS related deaths. The theme encourages greater access to treatment for all, and a call to action for governments to work against HIV/AIDS so that we can achieve President Obama’s call to action.
There are 33.4 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide - 800,000 of them in Brazil. We are especially excited to have Brazil’s Ambassador Bath as an honored guest at our World AIDS Day Concert because of Brazil’s leadership in providing all of its citizens with HIV treatment. Since the government has taken on responsibility for HIV treatments for its citizens, Brazil’s HIV prevalence rate has stayed at 0.6 percent since 2004. Brazil has taken bold and innovative steps to “get to zero” by providing HIV treatment for all Brazilians.
We are honored to have LeVar Burton, Emmy Award winning actor, as our Master of Ceremonies for this new event. Dr. David Hardy, Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and Professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will be the keynote speaker, and address our next steps in eradicating the virus. The program will feature classical performances by the Calidore String Quartet and a Colburn Wind Ensemble. Our honored guests include Dr. Michael Gottlieb, the physician known for identifying HIV as a new disease, the Consul General of Brazil in Los Angeles – Ambassador Bruno de Rísios Bath, and Oscar de La O, the president of Bienestar Human Services. Our Presenting Sponsor is Kaiser Permanente. Please join the Los Angeles area community in observing World AIDS Day 2012 at The Colburn School’s Zipper Hall. Space is limited so register now!
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Matt at The Giant Acorn International Triathalon 2012 |
Matt Paterra contacted AIDS Research Alliance in September, hoping to help fundraise for HIV research while preparing for The Giant Acorn International 2012 triathlon in Bumpass, Virginia. He would be traveling from Pittsburgh, PA in early October to take on his first-ever Olympic distance triathlon. After loosing a best friend to AIDS, he felt motivated to speak up about the disease, challenge himself both mentally and physically, and raise money for an organization focused on HIV cure research.
We were thrilled when Matt chose ARA as the beneficiary of his Causes fundraiser, which raised over $1000 for our HIV cure research program. We were fortunate to have the opportunity to ask Matt a few questions about his inspiration for the event.
Matt’s Story:
“About a year ago, my best friend Brian passed away because of AIDS. At first I was frustrated because he was not honest with himself nor with his friends about what he was dealing with, and he did not seek treatment. I realize now that there is a terrible stigma about this disease, and that people have pre-conceived notions about what it means to have HIV and what it means to contract it. So many people end up suffering because of these misconceptions that are attached to the disease.
This has become an important cause to me and I try to change the public understanding of what HIV is so people understand that it does not have to mean a death sentence. It is an unfortunate thing that happens, but you can go on to lead a full and wonderful life if you take the right steps and seek help. I want anyone who is dealing with the psychological aspects of the disease that Brian once had to know that it is not something to be so scared of. There are people that will love and support you regardless, and will not look at you any differently.
This was my first triathlon and also the one-year anniversary of Brian’s death. Brian was always involved with philanthropies and fundraising – he was constantly more concerned about using his efforts and talent to help others before ensuring his own financial stability. I thought this was very admirable and I felt that I could do the same by raising money for ARA.
The triathlon was an opportunity for me to challenge myself physically while taking the time to reflect on the loved ones I have lost, Brian, my grandmother, and my aunt, and the important lessons they have taught me- “to fight for those who are unable to do so for themselves.”
Check out Matt’s Causes fundraiser page to find out more about his journey.
Want to learn how you can make a difference in HIV research? Take a look at our Get Involved page!