Sunday, July 18, 2010

Leave for Vienna (Sunday) – Disaster for travel – flight cancelled on the runway, switch from direct flight to Vienna (Austrian Airlines) to United to Frankfurt connecting to Vienna. United flight sits on IAD runway for 2 hours due to thunder storms – miss connection in Frankfurt. Finally get the Vienna on Monday afternoon (19th July). Trying to stay cool and un-ruffled. Good to have Johanna McDonough meet me at airport. She had rescheduled me from IAD to get me to Vienna. She is a lifesaver. July 19-21, 2010 – Really great meeting in Vienna. My talk was a knockout. Also, very good press from Vienna – PBS Newshour, CNN, WTOP, CBS radio, also NY Times, Washington Post, etc. Meeting was a complete success. We announced the results from the CAPRISA microbicide trial. First success with topical microbicides. July 22-23, 2010 – Good press follow-up from meeting – NPR Science Friday among others. Note that we have been going through a record breaking heat wave on the East Coast with a concentration in DC. Temps between 92 and 101 F for the past several weeks. Welcome to Washington! Also, over the past 2 weeks I have been informed that I have won the Paul Janssen Prize from Belgium ($100,000.00) (cannot take the money since the prize is sponsored by J & J – what bullshit). Also won the Will Roger Prize for $50,000.00 (yes, I can accept the money). To be given to me in LA – am looking forward to this. This has been a very busy, hot, exciting summer. Am chronically tired, but good things are happening, particularly in the lab (a4B7) and with commentary papers that I am writing including some really nice ones with Gary Nabel on HIV vaccine and universal flu vaccine.