Public Health Heroes Awards Ceremony

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is charged with protecting and promoting the health of all San Franciscans. It is the city's largest department with over 6,800 employees and total annual expenditures in excess of $840 million. Each year in fulfilling its mission, the department must address a wide range of health issues, including for the past 20 years the difficult challenges associated with HIV/AIDS. Since 1981, there have been over 27,000 reported cases of AIDS in San Francisco, representing nearly 23 percent of statewide cases and four percent of those reported nationally. With over 18,000 reported deaths during the same time period, AIDS ranks as the second leading cause of premature death among males in San Francisco. As of December 1999, the City ranked third in the cumulative number of AIDS cases among metropolitan areas nationwide. In addition, it is estimated that another 17,000 to 18,000 San Franciscans are currently living with HIV and 500 to 600 acquire the infection annually.

While there have been shifts in HIV/AIDS-related trends, such as decreases in morbidity/mortality and increases in the number of people living with the disease, the challenges remain. Since 1981, each of San Francisco’s five health directors has provided leadership in combatting the epidemic. All have advocated strongly for funds aimed at prevention, research, and care. They’ve consistently supported policies that sought to prevent discrimination of people suffering from the disease. While each has relied on scientific evidence and established public health practices to guide their actions, they’ve also shown innovative leadership and thinking in establishing a number of model research collaborations with area universities, state and federal government, and community-based organizations. Finally, the importance of community involvement in helping to address the crisis was deemed important by each of the five directors, including Mervyn Silverman (1977-1985), David Werdegar (1985-1990), Raymond Baxter (1990-1993), Sandra Hernandez (1994-1997), and Mitchell Katz (1997-present).

Award Presenter

Dr. Donald P. Francis has been on the front lines in the battle against AIDS since 1981, when he arrived in San Francisco from the Centers for Disease Control to help investigate a mysterious disease. Dr. Francis was among the first scientists to suggest that the strange outbreak might be the result of an infectious agent. After 21 years with CDC, Dr. Francis joined South San Francisco biotech giant, Genentech, Inc. in 1992. Three years later, he joined with Dr. Robert Nowinski to guide the spin-off of Genentech's HIV vaccine unit into VaxGen, Inc., where he currently serves as president.

The Challenge: HIV Infection and AIDS

The first recognized cases of AIDS – five apparently unrelated cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in five young gay men from Los Angeles – were reported in the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" on June 5, 1981.

At that time it was never imagined that AIDS would develop into the devastating pandemic that exists today. However, it soon became apparent that the mysterious illness was also present among gay men in San Francisco. From 1981 to 1984, the numbers of AIDS cases reported from San Francisco rose almost exponentially – from a handful in mid-1981 to well over 800 towards the end of 1984.

Today the epidemic has claimed over 18.8 million lives worldwide and resulted in 13.2 million orphans – children who lost their mother or both parents to AIDS when they were under the age of 15.

The School of Public Health Responds

Not surprisingly, its close proximity to one the nation's largest outbreaks of AIDS, helped make the School of Public Health an early and active center for research on HIV infection and AIDS. Among the most prominent and far-reaching of these efforts was the landmark San Francisco Men's Health Study, directed by faculty member Warren Winkelstein, Jr., M.D. This epidemiological and natural history study of HIV infection and AIDS helped researchers determine the link between sexual activity, especially types of behavior, and HIV infection. The educational value of the study is credited with helping reduce the annual rate of new infections in San Francisco from over 20 percent to near 1 percent in less than a decade.

Other AIDS-related efforts at the School have included Professor Barbara Abrams's prospective study of dietary intake and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in HIV-Seropositive homosexual men; Professor Jack Colford's research on factors associated with survival among HIV-infected patients with various diagnoses, including Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, Cryptosporidiosis, and very low CD4 counts; work by Malcolm Potts, the Bixby Professor of Population and Family Planning, on AIDS prevention strategies and resource needs, particularly in developing nations; Professor Art Reingold's research on the interrelationship between tuberculosis and AIDS in developing countries and his study of Rochalimaea infections in AIDS patients; Professor Thomas Rundall's work on evaluating the impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis on the health care system; Professor George Rutherford's 12-year follow-up study of the San Francisco Men's Health Study cohort; and the pioneering work of adjunct faculty member Dr. Nancy Padian, who among other accomplishments is credited with conducting the nation's most comprehensive study of the risk factors in AIDS transmission among heterosexual couples.

The invaluable expertise and experience of the School's faculty along with special programs, such as the Fogarty International AIDS Training Program, directed by Art Reingold, have provided students rich learning opportunities in the field of public health AIDS research.

	2001 Organizational Hero San Francisco Department of Public Health	Other 2001 Heroes International Karl M. Johnson, M.D. National H. Jack Geiger, M.D., M.Sci. Hyg. Regional Billie Weiss, M.P.H.
2001 Organizational Hero -San Francisco Department of Public Health The San Francisco Department of Public Health is charged with protecting and promoting the health of all San Franciscans. It is the city's largest department with over 6,800 employees and total annual expenditures in excess of $840 million. Each year in fulfilling its mission, the department must address a wide range of health issues, including for the past 20 years the difficult challenges associated with HIV/AIDS. Since 1981, there have been over 27,000 reported cases of AIDS in San Francisco, representing nearly 23 percent of statewide cases and four percent of those reported nationally. With over 18,000 reported deaths during the same time period, AIDS ranks as the second leading cause of premature death among males in San Francisco. As of December 1999, the City ranked third in the cumulative number of AIDS cases among metropolitan areas nationwide. In addition, it is estimated that another 17,000 to 18,000 San Franciscans are currently living with HIV and 500 to 600 acquire the infection annually. While there have been shifts in HIV/AIDS-related trends, such as decreases in morbidity/mortality and increases in the number of people living with the disease, the challenges remain. Since 1981, each of San Francisco’s five health directors has provided leadership in combatting the epidemic. All have advocated strongly for funds aimed at prevention, research, and care. They’ve consistently supported policies that sought to prevent discrimination of people suffering from the disease. While each has relied on scientific evidence and established public health practices to guide their actions, they’ve also shown innovative leadership and thinking in establishing a number of model research collaborations with area universities, state and federal government, and community-based organizations. Finally, the importance of community involvement in helping to address the crisis was deemed important by each of the five directors, including Mervyn Silverman (1977-1985), David Werdegar (1985-1990), Raymond Baxter (1990-1993), Sandra Hernandez (1994-1997), and Mitchell Katz (1997-present). Award Presenter Dr. Donald P. Francis has been on the front lines in the battle against AIDS since 1981, when he arrived in San Francisco from the Centers for Disease Control to help investigate a mysterious disease. Dr. Francis was among the first scientists to suggest that the strange outbreak might be the result of an infectious agent. After 21 years with CDC, Dr. Francis joined South San Francisco biotech giant, Genentech, Inc. in 1992. Three years later, he joined with Dr. Robert Nowinski to guide the spin-off of Genentech's HIV vaccine unit into VaxGen, Inc., where he currently serves as president. The Challenge: HIV Infection and AIDS The first recognized cases of AIDS – five apparently unrelated cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in five young gay men from Los Angeles – were reported in the "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report" on June 5, 1981. At that time it was never imagined that AIDS would develop into the devastating pandemic that exists today. However, it soon became apparent that the mysterious illness was also present among gay men in San Francisco. From 1981 to 1984, the numbers of AIDS cases reported from San Francisco rose almost exponentially – from a handful in mid-1981 to well over 800 towards the end of 1984. Today the epidemic has claimed over 18.8 million lives worldwide and resulted in 13.2 million orphans – children who lost their mother or both parents to AIDS when they were under the age of 15. The School of Public Health Responds Not surprisingly, its close proximity to one the nation's largest outbreaks of AIDS, helped make the School of Public Health an early and active center for research on HIV infection and AIDS. Among the most prominent and far-reaching of these efforts was the landmark San Francisco Men's Health Study, directed by faculty member Warren Winkelstein, Jr., M.D. This epidemiological and natural history study of HIV infection and AIDS helped researchers determine the link between sexual activity, especially types of behavior, and HIV infection. The educational value of the study is credited with helping reduce the annual rate of new infections in San Francisco from over 20 percent to near 1 percent in less than a decade. Other AIDS-related efforts at the School have included Professor Barbara Abrams's prospective study of dietary intake and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in HIV-Seropositive homosexual men; Professor Jack Colford's research on factors associated with survival among HIV-infected patients with various diagnoses, including Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, Cryptosporidiosis, and very low CD4 counts; work by Malcolm Potts, the Bixby Professor of Population and Family Planning, on AIDS prevention strategies and resource needs, particularly in developing nations; Professor Art Reingold's research on the interrelationship between tuberculosis and AIDS in developing countries and his study of Rochalimaea infections in AIDS patients; Professor Thomas Rundall's work on evaluating the impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis on the health care system; Professor George Rutherford's 12-year follow-up study of the San Francisco Men's Health Study cohort; and the pioneering work of adjunct faculty member Dr. Nancy Padian, who among other accomplishments is credited with conducting the nation's most comprehensive study of the risk factors in AIDS transmission among heterosexual couples. The invaluable expertise and experience of the School's faculty along with special programs, such as the Fogarty International AIDS Training Program, directed by Art Reingold, have provided students rich learning opportunities in the field of public health AIDS research.