Annual Meeting: Welcome from Dr. Gallo

On behalf of my colleagues at the Institute of Human Virology (IHV), I welcome you to the 2006 Annual International Meeting, which is also a celebration of IHV’s 10th anniversary.

IHV’s annual international meeting has grown into one of the world’s leading HIV/AIDS conferences. Without doubt, this is because of the unparalleled quality of presentations and the level of expertise possessed by presenters and participants alike. It is also because of the vision and dedication of individuals like Hilary Koprowski and Stanley Prusiner who were instrumental in organizing IHV’s inaugural meeting, and Jeff Meshulam of Profectus Biosciences, Inc., who has put his heart and soul into so many of our meetings through the years.

This year is indeed special because it provides a milestone from which we can look back on a decade of discovery and care and look ahead to further success. IHV has grown from a small team of 50 to an international staff of nearly 300. Our budget has increased from just over $5 million to more than $40 million. Our clinical outreach has expanded dramatically in Baltimore and in Africa and the Caribbean. Partnerships have been launched in numerous other countries, most notably China and Mexico.

In celebrating our 10th anniversary, we will present the IHV Lifetime Achievement Award for Scientific Contributions to Dr. Maxine Singer of the National Institutes of Health. She rightfully joins the list of distinguished past awardees.

For only the second time in our history, we are presenting the IHV Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service. This year’s awardee is Mr. Martin Delaney, founder of Project Inform and a leading HIV/AIDS activist-expert whose efforts continue to positively influence progress in fighting the epidemic. On a more poignant note, we will commemorate the life and scientific legacy of longtime IHV Board Member the late Dr. Maurice Hilleman.

IHV staff and a wide ranging team of supporters and collaborators from around the world have joined together to prepare a program that promises to challenge and to entertain. Our deepest gratitude goes to our sponsors, and especially to this year’s underwriter Merck, for their generosity.

I look forward to seeing you in Baltimore this November and wish all of you a successful meeting.