- Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Infobox
name=
title=Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
header1=
label1= Founded
data1= 1988
header2=
label2= Founded by
data2= Elizabeth Glaser, Susie Zeegen, Susan DeLaurentis
header3=
label3= President
data3= Pamela W. Barnes
header4=
label4= Chairman of the Board
data4= Dr. David KesslerThe Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was founded in1988 byElizabeth Glaser , Susan DeLaurentis, and Susie Zeegen. Glaser and her husband, actorPaul Michael Glaser , learned that Mrs. Glaser had been infected withHIV through ablood transfusion . She had passed the infection along to her children Ariel (born1981 ) throughbreast milk and Jake (born1984 ) in utero. The Glasers were unable to find appropriate medicine to treat Ariel, as all existing treatments were only focused on adults.After Ariel died in 1988, Glaser, DeLaurentis, and Zeegen created a foundation to bring hope to children with
AIDS . The organization's goal was to bring in money to help researchers in the fight against AIDS and its effects on children while also highlighting the fact that AIDS and HIV could affect children. Their three main avenues for fighting pediatric AIDS are to fund critical research, launch global health programs, and advocate for children's health. It is now the leading national non-profit organization providing funding and support for pediatric AIDS research and has expanded its mission to the worldwide AIDSpandemic .The foundation was chaired by Elizabeth Glaser until her death in
1994 . Her husband, Paul, took over until2002 , and remains as Honorary Chairman. The current chairman is Dr. David Kessler, dean and vice chancellor for Medical Affairs at theUniversity of California, San Francisco inSan Francisco, California , USA. Both DeLaurentis and Zeegen remain members of the Board.Because of the high profile nature of Paul and Elizabeth Glaser, their efforts brought worldwide attention to the disease including a
1991 "People Magazine " cover, Elizabeth Glaser speaking in1992 at the1992 Democratic National Convention , a2000 Beanie Baby named 'Ariel' which raised $3.4 million as a fundraiser, and a2001 appearance before aUnited States Senate Committee by Paul Glaser. The foundation is a favorite cause of many celebrities including an annual celebritygolf tournament and several appearances on "The Apprentice". It is also the national philanthropy ofAlpha Epsilon Phi Grants and Awards
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation provides several grants and awards to scientists performing research aimed towards the study and eradication of pediatric AIDS. The Elizabeth Glaser Scientist Award is one of the many awards that the foundation offers through a competitive award application process.
Award & Grant Winners
*
Sunil Kumar Ahuja , M.D.: 2001 Elizabeth Glaser Scientist Award [http://www.uthscsa.edu/opa/issues/new34-2/ahuja.html UTHSCSA News, January 12, 2001, Accessed April 11, 2008.]References
External links
* [http://www.pedaids.org Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Web Site]
* [http://www.paulmichaelglaser.org/egpaf.html Paul Michael Glaser EGPAF Website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.