[Press kit]

: Many individuals and organizations are involved in the work of AmFAR, that is,: raising funds for the support of AIDS research. We asked some of these allies
* for their reaction to AmFAR's involvement in the worldwide initiative to
develop a preventive vaccine for AIDS, and here is what they said:

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Concerned Parents for AIDS Research (CPFA) is proud of its partnership
with AmFAR and proud of the lead AmFAR has taken as the scientific community
embarks upon this new and exciting area in AIDS research. We've come so far
with the development of protease inhibitors, with gene therapy research, and
with research into ways to control opportunistic infections, all of which has been
supported in-part by CPFA grants, that the obvious direction for research at this
point is the development of a vaccine. Protease inhibitors have allowed people to
live longer with AIDS, but that's not our goal; our goal is to keep HIV in check so
that people can live out their full life span, and, like patients with diabetes, asthma,
or any other chronic condition who live to be eighty or ninety years old, still lead
normal, healthy lives. - Roberta Bogen, President, Concerned Parents for AIDS
Research
Gift for Life (GFL) has worked to educate the gift industry about people living
with AIDS, and to heighten awareness of the pandemic itself. Through the fundraising efforts of a handful of dedicated individuals, and with AmFAR's help, we
have taken the lead in our industry in the search for a cure. In the absence of a
cure, it is extremely critical for us to recognize the importance of keeping people
who are living with HIV healthy and productive, and we are pleased with the
commitment GFL has made in this direction. Our role as fund raisers includes
helping people, and we do this through furthering research and prevention education.
Much has been discovered in the relatively few years that we have been fighting this disease. Scientists and the medical profession are more knowledgeable
now about how the virus works than they were even a few short years ago. GFL
is extremely proud of its association with AmFAR for this reason. We have
already funded some of AmFAR's early vaccine research, specifically in gene
therapy, and we are proud to be a part of the advances that have been made in this
area because of our contributions.
Our intention has always been to support research that will pave the way for
the eradication of this horrific disease, and we believe that now is the time for us
to set our sights on this goal. We're not going to eradicate it through individual
precautions and control; we're going to eradicate it with a vaccine, and we feel
strongly that this should be our common goal: Working toward a world without
AIDS. - Peter Schauben, Founder, Gift for Life
Pundits are fond of saying that my generation is aimless because it hasn't had a
"war of its own." On the contrary, AIDS is that war. It is a fight for the lives and

the conscience of our people. It is a war
whose casualties are vast and include not
only individuals who are infected, but
also those who are affected by the disease. For many, including those of us on
the Young Executive Support team, the
AIDS epidemic is not just about viruses
or vaccines, politics or ideology. At its
core, AIDS is about families, immediate
and extended: mothers, fathers, sisters,
brothers, cousins and friends. This is why
we support AmFAR's work on vaccine
developmepit, both therapeutic and pre- The Spielfogel Family of Boca Raton,
ventative. It is the vanguard of AIDS Florida: Stacie, Gary, Ross and Lucas.
research and now, the most crucial Stacie Spielfogel is the President of
approach in the fight against this deadly CPFA's Florida Affiliate.
disease. Without this weapon, our country will continue to lose its sons and daughters. This is a sacrifice we are not
willing to make. -Joe Miloscia, Chairman, Young Executive Support (Y.E.S.)
Young Executive Support (Y.E.S.) was founded as a benefit committee for
AmFAR five years ago at a time when the need to do something about AIDS
inspired us all. It was a way for us to marshal our resources and raise money for
the research that would effectively wipe out this horrible disease. The solution
sounded quite simple: we raise enough money to fund the research and a cure
would be found. I have always trusted the AmFAR Board of Directors and the
members of the Scientific Advisory Committee to be able to determine where the
resources can best be used, and the news of even slight successes reinvigorates us
and encourages us to double our fund-raising efforts. Today, when Dr. [Mathilde]
Krim calls us together to report on some scientific breakthrough for which AmFAR
is partly responsible, we share in her pride. It is always exciting for me to learn
just how close we are to discovering the right treatment, the right combination of
treatments, or the right method of approaching vaccine development. I am anxious to find a cure for those who are already infected with HIV, as well as keeping
future generations from becoming infected. I hope that someday AmFAR's work
will not be needed, and I believe that the current initiative to fund vaccine
research will make my dream a reality. - Glenn Isaacson, Founder, Young Executive Support (Y.E.S.); 0 9 0 0 0 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * * * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 0 * 0 * * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 * 9 0 0 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 * 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a

Sheldon W. Andelson AmFAR Public
Policy Internship Program

ach year, from over one hundred
applicants, AmFAR selects two
students to gain hands-on
experience in the field of AIDS-related
public policy as Sheldon W. Andelson
Public Policy Interns. This summer
Alice Chen, a Harvard University graduate currently studying at Oxford
University as an American Rhodes
Scholar, and Felicia Chu, an Honors
Biology major at Stanford University,
joined the Washington-based Public
Policy staff for ten weeks.

how Washington works, and to be a part
of our advocacy efforts on behalf of
AIDS research and people with AIDS,"
said Jane Silver, AmFAR's Director of
Public Policy.
During their internship, Ms. Chen
and Ms. Chu worked closely with the
public policy staff, joining in on meetings with AmFAR coalition partners and
participating in activities on Capitol
Hill. Their responsibilities included
monitoring Congressional hearings and
assisting in the drafting of fact sheets
and legislative public policy background
pieces. They had the opportunity to
interact with experienced health policy
advocates and AIDS experts from numerous federal agencies, including the
Food and Drug Administration, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of
Health. They also worked with members of AmFARs Board of Directors and
with the staff of other voluntary health
organizations and advocacy groups.
"The interns were on the Hill from
day one," said board member Arlen
Andelson during a meeting last summer,
"and they were saying that it was one
of the most incredible experiences of
their lives." Mr. Andelson is the brother
of the late Sheldon W Andelson, Esq.,
a former AmFAR board member in
whose memory AmFAR's Office of Public Policy and Public Policy Internship
Program were established. In addition
to contributions from the Andelson
family, the Sheldon W Andelson Public
Policy Internship Program is also supported by Mr. Alan Sieroty, who
underwrites the internship of a Stanford

student each year as an enduring
memorial to his friendship with
Sheldon W Andelson.
In addition to their involvement in
the office's daily activities, each of the
interns also completed an in-depth
research paper of relevance to the
ongoing work of the office. For her special project, Ms. Chen prepared a
report that examines the history and
chronology of women in clinical trials
and the factors that have influenced the
participation of women in those trials.
Ms. Chu completed a project that
reviews FDA requirements and procedures for Phase IV (post-approval) clinical research, industry compliance with
those requirements, and existing barriers and disincentives to compliance.
In addition to the research papers,
both women assisted with arrangements for the September 1997 Global

Strategies Conference on Mother-toInfant HIV Transmission co-sponsored
by AmFAR.
"Both Alice and Felicia are committed to the principles that AmFAR
advocates in Washington and we hope
that this opportunity to be involved in
AIDS advocacy will lead them to channel their immense talent and energy into
further work on behalf of people with
HIV/AIDS," said Scott Sanders, Associate Director of Public Policy, who
coordinates the internship program.
Both Ms. Chen and Ms. Chu plan to
attend medical school.
"We were working on some tough
issues this summer, including building
Congressional support for needle
exchange programs and trying to stop
damaging changes to the legislative
mandate to the Food and Drug Administration," said Ms. Silver. "They had
the chance to experience the challenges
that we face on a daily basis."
In reflecting upon her experience
at AmFAR, Ms. Chu stated, "I learned
how you can take a stand for what you
believe in, for what you believe is right."

Sheldon W Andelson AmFAR Public Policy
Internship participants Alice Chen (right) and
Felicia Chu in front of the AmFAR office in
Washington, D.C.
The internship program is designed
to provide the students with an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to public health, while learning
about the legislative process and public
health policy. "We want to give the interns the opportunity to see firsthand

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