Orlando campus dean Dr. Michael Muszynski recently established the Robert H. Sherwood Memorial Lectureship to provide opportunities for education and research in HIV/AIDS. The lectureship is named for a well-known AIDS activist in Orlando, who, prior to his death, established funding to pay for the program as part of the battle against AIDS. 

On Oct. 20, the Orlando regional campus of the College of Medicine presented the first Sherwood Lectureship by inviting world-renowned AIDS expert Dr. Mark Kline to speak to area physicians.

Kline, professor of pediatrics and chief of retrovirology at Baylor College of Medicine, leads a pediatric HIV/AIDS organization treating afflicted children in Mexico, Romania, Ukraine, China and 20 African countries.

His presentation in Orlando, scheduled as part of the Care of the Sick Child Conference, was well-received. “It was simply brilliant and very moving,’’ Muszynski said. “He received a nearly one-minute standing ovation. I have never seen such an ovation at such a conference before.’’

Kline outlined accomplishments in pediatric and family-centered HIV care in the United States and the contrasting HIV/AIDS tragedy in developing countries.

“One of the striking points was that there is plenty of money to begin to approach the terrible disaster of HIV/AIDS in the developing world - especially in Africa - but the money bounces back to the United Nations, the U.S.A., and other sources because there is no conduit for implementation,’’ Muszynski said. “In fact, some countries have mere handfuls of doctors trying to help tens of thousands of people. Dr. Kline’s program is a conduit for these funds directly to the people, with successes of thrilling proportion.’’

The Orlando regional campus will continue to benefit community physicians by presenting the lectureship on an annual basis. “But Dr. Kline will be a tough act to follow,’’ Muszynski said.