HIV/AIDS researcher Douglas Richman receives Veterans Affairs award

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced that Douglas Richman, a virologist at the VA's San Diego Healthcare System, has been awarded the 2002 William Middleton Award for his research on HIV/AIDS. Richman, who is the director of the Research Center for AIDS and HIV Infection, was chosen for the award because "his research is directly responsible for major advances in the medical treatment of people with AIDS and HIV," said Veterans Affairs secretary Anthony Principi. Richman was involved with the initial clinical trials of AZT, the first anti-HIV drug, and is a leading researcher in the treatment of drug-resistant HIV. He is currently conducting research on neutralizing antibodies, which could play a role in the development of an HIV vaccine.