TheBody.com Announces the Winners of
Its 2005 HIV Leadership Awards

Dear Readers,

Last year, we issued a call for nominations for TheBody.com's HIV Leadership Awards. We asked each of you -- TheBody.com's 600,000+ monthly visitors -- to nominate HIV healthcare workers and inspiring people with HIV who have made a difference in your life.

We did so because, as much as we in the U.S. HIV community like to complain (and justifiably so) about what's wrong with HIV care today -- the lack of resources for the disadvantaged, the crushing workload, the bureaucracy, the chilly political climate -- we also realize that there is plenty going right in this country. There is no better proof than the thousands of Americans who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that the lives of people with HIV are lengthy, healthy and happy ones.

As a testament to the incredible work these heroes do, we received HIV Leadership Award nominations from every state in the union. The notes that accompanied these nominations blew us away; we couldn't have asked for better evidence of the number of terrific HIV care providers, prevention workers and AIDS advocates there are in the United States. It was not easy for our esteemed judges to select the winners, but they've made their selections, and we're thrilled to be able to present them to you!

The 73 people to whom we have the honor of presenting an HIV Leadership Award are extraordinary. They represent a multitude of work settings, including prisons, universities, hospitals, clinics, military hospitals and large agencies. Many have been deeply involved since the epidemic's early years. Most spend each day grappling with some of the most intractable problems affecting the epidemic, including the staggering impact of stigma and the increasingly common use of crystal methamphetamine.

Ten years after TheBody.com's founding, and more than 20 years since HIV made its unwelcome intrusion on our lives, we know that there are far, far more than 73 people who are worthy of these awards. We can only hope that by calling attention to these heroes, we can also shine a spotlight on the dedicated teams of people they toil alongside, and on the thousands upon thousands of incredible individuals who have committed their lives to one of the most urgent causes of our generation. It is they who give us faith that the next 10 years can be a time of greater hope, understanding and progress toward a cure.

Browse through our interviews with these outstanding people and you'll begin to truly appreciate the remarkable people working on the front lines of the United States' HIV epidemic.

Congratulations to all of our nominees and winners!

Kindest regards,

Bonnie Goldman
Editorial Director, TheBody.com

MEET THE WINNERS!
(Click on a category to read more.)

Inspiring People With HIV
* Regina Brandon
* Troy Duke
* Kathleen Gerus-Darbison
* Sheri Kaplan
* Michelle Lopez
* Robert Mintz
* Todd Murray
* Carlos Perez
* Chris Poorman
* Matthew Seymour

Outstanding Physicians
* Joseph Bick
* J. Kevin Carmichael
* Eric Daar
* Charles Farthing
* Hunter Hammill
* Keith Henry
* Kristen Ries
* Scott Russell
* Karen Tashima
* Ben Young

Outstanding Physician Assistants & Nurse Practitioners
* Michael Bauguess
* Jeanne Dumestre
* Tari Gilbert
* Bethsheba Johnson
* Barbara Lewis
* Alice Myerson
* Joni Nickens
* Helen Rominger
* Carol "Maggie" Snyder
* Paul Stabile
* Joel "Wes" Thompson

Outstanding Nurses
* Cyndee Burton
* Charon Callaway
* Sandra Charles
* Jacqueline Pitt
* Janice Price
* Mary Lynn Purcell
* Pamela Sherwood
* Jodi Tullman
* Guy Vandenberg
* Debbie Winters

Outstanding Case Managers and Social Workers
* Rudolph Antonio
* Nancy Cataldi
* Awilda Gonzalez-Vega
* Joni Lavick
* Karen McGee
* Philomena McGee
* Beatrice Rodriguez
* Yolanda Rodriguez-Escobar
* D. Wing Takakuwa
* Michael Valentin

Outstanding Prevention Educators
* Lori Ann Bradford
* Elsa Burgess
* Julie Davids
* Larry Farrell
* Perry Halkitis
* Fred Klingenhagen
* Fritz Lolagne
* Brian Risley
* Rachel Tate
* Edward Wolf

Up-and-Coming Physicians
* Anas Hana
* Chad Zawitz

Noteworthy Pediatricians
* Kiran Belani
* Alwyn Cohall
* Donna Futterman

Noteworthy Pharmacists
* Anthony Busti
* Patrick Clay
* Fred Cruz
* Deborah Herndon
* Marnie Jones
* Jean Lee
* Robert Santucci