from The President


Richard V. Homan, MD
Richard V. Homan, MD

When AIDS and HIV became a public-health crisis in the 1980s, there was little chance that those who contracted the virus would live into their elderly years. But thanks to advances in treatments, nearly 50 percent of people with HIV today are older than 50, with many now in their 70s and 80s.

In HIV’s transition from a frightening terminal disease to a well-managed chronic condition, older people who are HIV-positive must now consider its impact on other conditions associated with aging. And there is another reason for HIV’s increase among seniors. Learn why a discussion about safer sex among seniors is long overdue.

This month, about 500 new students came through the doors of EVMS for the first time. If they are anything like I was, they might benefit from the wisdom of those who recently went out those same doors. In “What I Wish I Had Known,” recent EVMS graduates offer guidance to their incoming counterparts.

Once those new students connect with the EVMS community, many will jump at the chance to learn patient care first-hand by taking part in medical mission trips. The photo essay in this issue offers a glimpse into their meaningful service work.

A commitment to service is a value we strive to instill in our new students. It starts their second day here when they give back through Community Impact Day and continues through our extensive service-learning program and the diverse volunteer opportunities we afford them.

Albert Einstein once said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” EVMS students, we are proud to say, are shining examples.