The keynote speaker was Jeffrey Lennox, M.D., a professor of medicine and an infectious diseases expert at Emory's School of Medicine and medical director of the Ponce Center. The Ponce Center, in midtown Atlanta, houses the outpatient infectious disease clinics of Grady Health System, and is one of the largest and most comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment facilities in the country.

Emory physicians, fellows and residents conduct clinical care at the center, including a variety of clinical trials aimed at advancing patient care. Lennox also is co-director for clinical and translational research at the Emory Center for AIDS Research. Go to Emory's programs in HIV/AIDS for more information.

The NAMES Project Foundation, Inc., has housed the AIDS Memorial Quilt in Atlanta since 2002. The foundation was established in 1987 as a non-governmental organization with the mission of preserving, caring for and using the AIDS Memorial Quilt to inspire action, heighten awareness and foster healing in the age of AIDS.

The entire quilt weighs 54 tons and includes more than 45,000 panels dedicated to more than 88,000 individuals. In the past 18 years, more than 15 million people have seen the quilt at displays around the world. In November 2005, the quilt was designated as one of "America's Treasures" and was awarded a "Save America's Treasures" federal grant that has established a conservation and preservation program for it. Information about the quilt is available at aidsquilt.org.

Emory scientists and physicians are at the forefront of research efforts to develop effective drugs and vaccines against HIV and AIDS. The Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) is an official National Institutes of Health CFAR site. More than 120 faculty throughout Emory are working on some aspect of HIV/AIDS prevention or treatment. Many of the scientists within the Emory Vaccine Center are focused on finding an effective vaccine against HIV, and Emory scientists are inventors of several of the most commonly used HIV/AIDS drugs.