New York, NY, April 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maureen M. Goodenow, Ph.D., National Institutes of Health (NIH) Associate Director for AIDS Research and Director of the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) will be presented the 2019 Esperanza Award by the Latino Commission on AIDS at its Annual Cielo Gala on Friday, June 7, 2019, at Cipriani Wall Street in Manhattan.
The Esperanza (Hope) Award was created by the Commission to recognize leaders in medical research, public health, and treatment dedicated to stemming the tide of HIV and AIDS. Dr. Goodenow has 30 years of experience in HIV/AIDS research and is a respected, peer-reviewed author, publishing more than 100 articles and book chapters. Dr. Goodenow continues to invest in the next generation of scientists and has trained more than 50 doctoral and postdoctoral fellows.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to honor Dr. Maureen M. Goodenow for her dedicated service and distinguished career in HIV/AIDS research,” said Guillermo Chacon, president of the Latino Commission on AIDS. “It is through science, research and community engagement, such as that of Dr. Goodenow’s, that we keep hope and optimism alive as we work toward ending HIV and AIDS in our life time. We thank her and the NIH for joining us in this cause to design a world without AIDS.”
Dr. Goodenow joined NIH in 2016 and leads the OAR in coordinating the HIV/AIDS research agenda across the NIH. Before her tenure at OAR, Dr. Goodenow was involved in international AIDS efforts as the Acting Director of the Office for Research and Science within the U.S. Department of State, Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Office of Global Health Diplomacy. In 2012, Dr. Goodenow was the recipient of the prestigious Jefferson Science Fellowship at the State Department, where she served as senior science advisor in the Office of Economic Policy’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Prior to her government service, Dr. Goodenow was a professor of pathology, immunology, and laboratory medicine at the University of Florida, Gainesville, where she held the Stephany W. Holloway University Endowed Chair for HIV/AIDS Research. She also was the Director of the Center for Research in Pediatric Immune Deficiency Diseases, where she led a research program in HIV pathogenesis, genetic diversity, host-virus interactions at the molecular level, and the role of recreational marijuana in HIV-associated inflammation and neurocognitive conditions in youth with HIV.
“I am truly honored to be recognized by the Latino Commission on AIDS with the Esperanza Award,”said Dr. Goodenow. “The Commission, Health and Human Services (HHS), NIH and community partners have a shared goal in addressing the challenges in preventing and responding to the HIV epidemic in our nation.”
A New York native, Dr. Goodenow received her undergraduate degree in biology from Fordham University and her Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Following a postdoctoral fellowship in molecular oncology at the Sloan Kettering Institute, Dr. Goodenow was a visiting scientist at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, where she began her study of HIV.
The Cielo Gala raises support for the Latino Commission on AIDS to create and promote HIV and AIDS service programs and initiatives aimed at increasing awareness, prevention, and treatment education, as well as building capacity among other organizations serving Latino communities throughout the U.S. and the US Territories. Under the theme Designing a World without AIDS, the Cielo Gala this year will highlight transgender-led HIV/AIDS initiatives and leaders. For more information on the event and how to order tickets, visit: cielolatino.org.
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About the Latino Commission on AIDS
The Latino Commission on AIDS (Commission) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1990 dedicated to meet the health challenges and addressing the impact of HIV/AIDS, viral Hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the Hispanic/Latinx community. The Commission is the leading organization coordinating National Hispanic Hepatitis Awareness Day (May 15), National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (October 15), Latinos in the Deep South, and other prevention, research, capacity building, and advocacy programs across the United States and its territories. The Latino Commission is also the founder of the Hispanic Health Network, dedicated to eliminating health disparities in Latino communities.