HLS students involved with the Health Law Clinic at the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center traveled to Washington, DC, last month to participate in AIDSWatch 2007. The students teamed up with Senior Clinical Instructor Robert Greenwald to plan and develop materials, as well as lead trainings at the conference.
“Participating in this process has been an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Sarah Schalman-Bergen ’07, one of the students involved with the project. “In addition to learning about the intricacies of the legislative process, I have had the chance to work with dedicated individuals affected by this disease working to ensure that everyone has access to the lifesaving medications that they need.”
As part of AIDSWatch 2007, over 300 people living with HIV and AIDS from around the country gathered in the nation’s capital to meet with their representatives in Congress and lobby for passage of the Early Treatment for HIV Act. The Harvard contingent, which also included Andrea Glen ’07 and Kelley Coleman ’08, facilitated planning sessions for constituents from the northern states and helped educate congressional representatives about the issues affecting people with HIV.
AIDSWatch 2007 was sponsored by the National Association of People with AIDS and the Treatment Access Expansion Project, which Greenwald directs.