The foundation that began as three mothers around a kitchen table is now the leading global nonprofit dedicated to eliminating pediatric HIV and AIDS.
Browse this timeline to see how it all begin and the milestones that helped shape the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation of today.
Elizabeth Glaser receives a transfusion with seven pints of HIV-infected blood following the birth of her daughter, Ariel. Elizabeth unknowingly transmits the virus to Ariel through breastfeeding.
Elizabeth Glaser gives birth to her son, Jake, and unknowingly transmits HIV to him in utero. This same year, HIV is identified as the cause of AIDS. Biomedical researcher Robert Gallo identifies a retrovirus as the probable cause of AIDS. In 1986, the retrovirus will be named human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A blood test is developed to screen for the virus.
Biomedical researcher Robert Gallo identifies a retrovirus as the probable cause of AIDS. In 1986, the retrovirus will be named human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A blood test is developed to screen for the virus.
“After we found out that my family was HIV-positive, it was clear that I would have to grow as a person more than I had ever imagined in order to find a way to cope,” Elizabeth later wrote in her 1991 memoir “In the Absence of Angels.”
After a long battle with illness, Ariel Glaser passes away right after her 7th birthday.
The Pediatric AIDS Foundation (PAF) is launched by Elizabeth Glaser, Susie Zeegen, and Susan DeLaurentis to raise money for pediatric AIDS research.
PAF makes its first research grant, $60,000, to Dr. Richard Stiehm of UCLA. Over the next 30 years, PAF/EGPAF will award at total of 1,100 research grants, representing $78 million in combined funding.
Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Howard Metzenbaum (D- Ohio) host the first Pediatric AIDS Foundation fundraiser: A Night to Unite. The event raises $1 million.
Elizabeth and Paul Glaser ask the U.S. Congress to provide funding to test HIV drugs for children. While AZT, a promising drug treatment, has already been approved by the FDA, its potential impact on children is still unknown due to a lack of research.
Congress enacts the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency Act or Ryan White CARE Act, the largest federally funded health program (excluding Medicaid and Medicare).
NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson announces that he is living with HIV and retires from basketball. Johnson credits Elizabeth Glaser with giving him hope.
The Pediatric AIDS Foundation inaugurates A Time for Heroes, a celebrity carnival and fundraiser in Los Angeles, California.
Elizabeth Glaser’s passionate address at the U.S. Democratic National Convention, rivets the nation as she shares her story and declares that “[p]eople say they care but actions are what save lives.”
The Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s Kids for Kids Celebrity Carnival makes its debut in New York City.
Elizabeth Glaser dies of AIDS-related causes on Dec. 3, and the Pediatric AIDS Foundation is renamed the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) in her memory.
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) becomes available with the approval of the first protease inhibitor, leading to dramatic reductions in AIDS-related deaths in the U.S. and other developed countries.
EGPAF creates the Elizabeth Glaser Scientist Awards (EGSA), and gives the first five to Dr. Richard Koup, Dr. Mike McCune, Dr. Donald Kohn, Dr. Jerry Zack, and Dr. Yves Riviere. The EGSA would become the most prestigious award in HIV/AIDS research and would go on to award a total of 36 scientists/clinicians with more than $24 million dollars in research funding over the next ten years. These individuals would use these awards to leverage more than $250 million dollars in additional research funding.
The rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV declines to less than 2 percent among HIV-positive mothers in the United States.
Nevirapine is shown to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 50 percent with single doses given to the mother during labor and to the infant following birth in the landmark HPTN 012 study, led by Laura Guay, M.D., a researcher with Johns Hopkins University.
EGPAF begins the Call-to-Action Prevention of Mother-to Child Transmission (PMTCT) program in eight clinics in six countries focused on implementing the HPTN 012 intervention.
Nine years after Elizabeth Glaser passes away from AIDS-related illnesses, her vision for pediatric drug research would become a reality, when the U.S. Congress passes the Pediatric Research Equity Act. This new law dramatically increases the number of drugs tested and labeled for use in children.
During the 2003 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush proposes creation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to make anti-HIV drugs less costly and more widely available to millions of men, women and children in the poorest regions of the world.
Through EGPAF-supported programs, more than 25 percent of all HIV-positive pregnant women worldwide receive medicine to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies.
EGPAF helps renew the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which authorizes $48 billion in global health programs.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announces that 1 million babies have been born without HIV because of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a primary EGPAF partner. One quarter of the mothers cited received PMTCT treatment through programs supported by EGPAF.
EGPAF announced that it has reached 20 million women with lifesaving services, such as HIV testing, counseling, and treatment, to prevent HIV-positive women from passing the virus to their babies. This accomplishment marks a significant milestone for EGPAF and the worldwide effort to achieve an AIDS-free generation.
Jake Glaser, an EGPAF spokesperson and healthy young adult, celebrates his 30th birthday.
As a result of EGPAF input in the United Nations High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, the final Political Declaration on Ending AIDS gives stronger emphasis to children and includes fast-track goals specifically for children.
EGPAF begins administering the largest country-specific USAID projects in EGPAF history and expands adolescent programs to reach the highest number of young people. These projects, located where the need is greatest, are crucial to our goal of virtually ending AIDS in children by 2020.
Despite tremendous progress, over 400 children continue to be born with HIV each day. EGPAF remains focused on bringing that number to zero. We are working in 17 countries, including those places hardest hit by the HIV pandemic. With the support of EGPAF, nearly 30 million women have accessed prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services.
Founded over 30 years ago, The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is committed to a comprehensive response to fighting HIV and AIDS through research, global advocacy, strengthening of local health care systems, and growing the capacity of governments and communities in the world’s most affected regions to respond to urgent needs. We’re driven to see a world where no other mother, child, or family is devastated by this disease.