College of Medicine

The FSU College of Medicine’s Student National Medical Association is hosting the fifth annual HIV and AIDS Awareness Day on Thursday, Nov. 21. The event is being held ahead of World AIDS Day and the beginning of AIDS Awareness Month on Dec. 1.

The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at FSU PrimaryHealth. A candlelight vigil is set to begin at 8 p.m. The vigil is meant to honor the lives of those affected by HIV and AIDS. In addition to the vigil, Big Bend Cares will be conducting free HIV testing on site.

Jonathan Appelbaum, professor and chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences at the College of Medicine, will be speaking at 7:15 p.m. to shed more light on the prevalence of the disease and what the community can do to minimize its effect.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 1.1 million adults and adolescents in the U.S. are living with HIV, 14% of whom are unaware that they’re infected. The latest CDC data shows that Florida reported the highest number of HIV diagnoses nationally in 2017 (4,800).

The event will bring together a variety of student and community organizations:

• Student National Medical Association
• Undergraduate SSTRIDE
• Latino Medical Student Association
• PRIDE in Healthcare
• The Center for Health Advocacy & Wellness at FSU
• Florida Department of Health
• Master of Public Health program at FSU