The Sinai Eye, Class of 2020, Issue 1

the sinai eye Class of 2020 | Issue 1

table of contents

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Introduction Founder's Message What is Sinai?

Hossein Aleyasin Class Representatives

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A Year in Review

2018-19 Gallery Areas of Research Guggenheim: Shape and Form Sinai Takes on Albany Germ City

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Learning More The Central Dogma of Molecular Biology Cancer in Microwaves: Preview Proust Was a Neuroscientist: Book Review HIV, AIDS, and Politics

our mission is to produce physicians and scientists who are prepared to enter society as informed advocates and activists, able to advance clinical care and science, and capable of promoting change.

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Community and diversity make Sinai the place to be!

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founder's message Editor-in-Chief Josh Torres

Art Director

Yasemin Schmitt

Welcome to the first issue of The Sinai Eye!

Spending half the days at Sinai, we start to become disconnected from the rest of the school. But we don’t want that to be the case! The purpose of this newsletter is to share a little bit of life at Sinai: the things we learn, events that happen, and interesting thoughts.

We hope you enjoy this eyeful of the wonderful things we do!

—Josh Torres

Writers Art Director

Angelo Lontok

Mac Borozan Bryan Fernández Nicole Frimpong Raphael Hao

Matthias Jacquot Angelo Lontok Yasemin Schmitt Josh Torres

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What is Sinai?

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t's one of the three tracks. It’s where you go to "be a doctor." It's where wereww you spend all day doing science and then more science, right? But when you’re actually there, you realize that Sinai is its own strange world.

8:00 to 10:30, two and a half hours, a long time to be in one class every day.

Sinai is a perfect classroom.

It's like any other class in that we have quizzes, ask questions, give presentations, and get grades. What we don’t do though, is follow a Regents rubric, have busy work, and prioritize grades. Everything we do is for the purpose of learning how to think.

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We start off the week on Tuesday, discussing a new topic like how to extract a particular protein from bacteria. Hossein prompts us to make an educated guess about how such a thing works, to use what we already know and apply it, to think about it the way scientists before us did.

Information isn’t just put on the board for it to be copied down to be regurgitated later on a test.

On Wednesday, library day, we do research. These two and a half hours in the Icahn School of Medicine library are for finding articles that connect to both what we discuss in class, and our individual research topics, working on presentations, reading, and getting any other work done. We don’t sit around reading generic handouts, we immerse ourselves in research papers and review articles on the cutting edge work being done in the real world.

On Thursday, we're back in the lab running an experiment on the new topic of the week. With our dyads, our lab partners, we do things like culture E. Coli, run gel electrophoresis, extract DNA, and even modify bacteria using vectors. It’s great when things go well but we learn just as much when they don’t. Like in the second morning of the plasmid extraction experiment, Hossein told us we would have to modify the experiment because the bacteria didn’t grow overnight. Instead of ignoring

ignoring it and moving on, we spent the beginning of class discussing what could have gone wrong and why. Maybe the culture didn’t have enough nutrients, maybe the bacteria didn’t have the right antibiotic resistance, maybe the bacteria was dead from the start.

Just like in a real lab, things don’t always go right; having the skills to find out why is necessary for being a good scientist.

We then finish off the week on Friday by either continuing the lab or continuing the lesson.We spend Mondays back at HSMSE presenting our research and we start the week all over again at Sinai on Tuesday.

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The most valuable lesson of Sinai is how to think.

By understanding the Central Dogma of molecular biology, the idea that DNA is transcribed into RNA which gets translated into proteins, and the importance of shape and form, everything else becomes a puzzle waiting to be solved.

When I walk in the park and look at the blossoming spring flowers, I now think about what’s really going on inside the plants: I think about the pathways being activated by the change in temperature, the enzymes and proteins working together in every cell to create the colorful petals, and about those four letters, the same four letters in all of my cells, that become one of the many flowers on the many branches of the many trees all around me.

Even after only scratching the surface of the world that is biology

biology, the living world around us, I now have the tools to question how everything works, to come up with possible answers, and to come up with ideas about how to apply those answers in a way that can change the world. —Josh Torres

Meet Hossein!

Dr. Aleyasin, or Hossein, as he is known to his students, teaches the daily biotechnology course for Sinai juniors and guides a weekly seminar for Sinai seniors. Although this is only his first year, he has already become an integral part of the Sinai experience. As his students, we know of his greatness, but few others get to have the same love; thus we believe it is only fair to share a little piece of our beloved teacher with you:

ossein grew up in Tehran, the capital of Iran, thus, like us, he is a city kid through and through. through.

When he was little, his dream was to be a chemist; he hated the idea of being a high school science teacher like his own father!

Throughout his high school career, Iran was at war. To avoid the draft and go to medical school, Hossein did exceptionally well in high school.

Medical school ensured eight years

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exceptionally well in high school.

Medical school ensured eight years without serving in the military, and eight years without teaching or taking tests to be accepted into graduate programs.

After the Iranian Revolution, Western shows on television ended, but the new government sponsored educational shows, some about scientists. It was then that Hossein watched a documentary on TV about

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scientists. It was then that Hossein watched a documentary on TV about Ramon Cajal, a vital scientist in developing the study of neuroscience.

Cajal became Hossein's ideal: a man who went to medical school, but was interested in chemistry, and ultimately became a researcher. At the time Hossein did not realize he would follow that exact path, but he probably would never have guessed it would lead him to being a high school science teacher!

During medical school, Hossein gained a lot as a scientist, but also grew as a person.

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He began working on a project writing an encyclopedia for children, where he developed writing, and teamwork skills. He skipped boring med school classes to help researchers in labs at the university, where he learned the cutting edge techniques of the time, like gel electrophoresis!

After medical school, Hossein had to complete two years of service to the Iranian government, so he was sent to rural Iran where he was part of a forty person team providing healthcare to

Iranian government, so he was sent to rural Iran where he was part of a forty person team providing healthcare to very remote communities. Hossein highlighted a patient he treated during this time: a man, three hundred pounds of muscle, who was crying from the pain of his kidney stones. “This is a man who could crush you,�

Hossein explained to me. It was striking for him to realize the complexities of that patient doctor relationship. During this time he also learned that more than just chemistry influences disease, which is a point Hossein makes sure his Sinai classes understand: ignorance kills.

After Hossein completed his service he went to Canada to do post doctoral training. Although he did not plan on pursuing a PhD, he got one in Canada.

It was during his time in Canada that Hossein claimed his creative passion: dance. Throughout his life, he had never been able to sit still while listening to music. Hossein even says he can barely sit through classical music concerts, because the music literally moves him! He saw a flyer for a dance class at the University he was working at in Canada, and he stepped out of his comfort zone. So Hossein began to dance, ballet and modern.

He believes that self expression is vital for all people.

When he came to New York, he found a contact improvisation class, a more interpretive and expressive dance, which focuses on physical teamwork and reaction. Hossein said that his dance class is what he looks forward to every week Along with dancing, Hossein enjoys playing the santor, a hammered dulcimer-like instrument from Iran, and reading Persian poetry.

Hossein believes creative outlets are a vital part of being a well rounded person and scientist.

In his class, Hossein stresses the importance of not just being a scientist, but also a science communicator. Creative outlets help scientists express science to the wider world. And as Hossein always says: homo sapien means "rational man"; a better name for humanity would be homo fabulans, meaning "storytelling man."

To fulfill this role, Hossein tells us a lot of stories. Favorites for us are stories of his life and stories of patients that changed his life. One repeated lesson is that the best things in life are often unplanned, like how he became the Sinai teacher, for example. Hossein

is that the best things in life are often unplanned, like how he became the Sinai teacher, for example. Hossein was working at Mt. Sinai in a neuroscience lab. He had two MSE interns, Jackie Pina and Nehmal Bhatti who both exceeded his expectations.

Hossein had decided he would leave Mt Sinai to work for Marymount College full time, and he visited the CEYE office to alert them.

He was faced with a choice: teach high school, or go on with his plan.

Clearly, he chose the inadvertent, unexpected path, and he tells us that he is happy with his choice.

Hossein’s favorite part of teaching Sinai is his students. He aims to keep their curiosity, while guiding their paths through science. —Mac Borozan

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r u o t e e m ! s p e r s s cla

Mac, Lena and Aaron volunteered to be the Sinai presidents in September to advocate for the needs of their peers to both CEYE and HSMSE administration. Since then, they have been attending monthly meetings, organizing events, and preparing for the Sinai Graduation in June. But who are they really?

Mac Borozan Mac is a born and raised New Yorker, from Texan and Eastern European heritage. Mac joined Sinai to pursue their interests in science, but is not sure whether or not it will take them to medical school, environmental studies, or public health. Mac’s favorite parts of Sinai are all the dogs Mac gets to petareonalltheir school, of Sinai thewalk dogstoMac getsandtolearning pet on about the incredible and intricatetheir systems walk toof life. school, and learning about the Mac considers themselves a incredible student ofandeverything, as theyofarelife.not only intricate systems interested in science, but also in history, language, and the arts. Mac attends an internship at the MoMA, tutors at a community center, and is Junior Drum Major of New York City’s All-City marching band. During free time, Mac likes to play the bass, do yoga, read, and watch Game of Thrones.

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Aaron Das Aaron is a born and raised Elmhurst resident, from Bangladesh. He enjoys his friends, hip hop, and watching wrestling. One of his favorite things to do is make people laugh, which may or may not be the reason he is the unofficial Sinai class of 2020 jokester.

In his free time, Aaron does homework, listens to music, explores Instagram, and connects with friends. He also plays both basketball and piano and is active in MSE’s very own Key Club. In Key Club he often volunteers at events and enjoys seeing smiles on the faces of people he helps.

In the future, Aaron aspires to attend Columbia College and possibly go to medical school. He is excited to make money when he grows up so he can, “ball out for [his] parents.”

Lena Molyneux Lena is a fourth generation New Yorker, and proud of it. She finds joy in good weather, music, singing and very precious sleep. Lena is both a motivated musician and scientist: after Sinai she attends piano, singing, and dance lessons after school. On Saturdays she attends the Juliard Music School to pursue opera. She is in a band called asdfasdf Cartoon Role Model, is the vice president of National Honor Society, and is a member of Sing for Hope, a nonprofit that brings art to underprivileged communities. Through Sing for Hope, Lena does a vocal performance once a month at Penn Station.

To unwind from a long day, Lena enjoys watching Shameless or Grey’s Anatomy. She anticipates pursuing music as an opera singer, and science as a neurosurgeon in her future. She wants to travel the world and learn many languages.

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a year in review

Research Projects Neurological Diseases Lena Molyneux & Josh Torres Zoological Diseases Ann-Nicole Frimpong & Xinyi Yang Cancer Ophelia Lee & Alexandra Rodriguez Genetic Diseases Mia Akhter & Bryan Fernรกndez Drug Addiction Zachary Nelson & Ria Roy Antibiotic Resistance Aaron Das & Matthias Jacquot Allergies Raphael Hao & Kristiana Nikci HIV/AIDS Mac Borozan & Angelo Lontok Mental Health Kenya Calderon & Yasemin Schmitt

Throughout the year, students work in twoperson groups (dyads), working together in labs, and researching an area of interest.

A dyad hard at work in a lab!

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The Guggenh eim Shape and Form O

n March 7, we visited the Guggenheim Museum (which is just a ten minute walk away from Sinai) to see the exhibit “Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future.� Af Klint was a Swedish painter who worked in the early nineteenth century. She used heavy spiritual and theosophical influences to create a collection of absurd, confusing, and wonderfully abstract paintings that tell a story of the world, from its chaotic inception to divine ascension.

So what does this have to do with Sinai?

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Everything in living organisms gets done by proteins and enzymes. Enzymes and proteins digest food, move our muscles, and duplicate DNA and all other processes. What allows enzymes to do all of these things is their shape and form.

They fit together with molecules and substances like puzzle pieces. We view these shapes and forms with a scientific lens: we look at how amino acids assemble together and how the bonds between them allow them to fold into complex structures. Seeing this art gave us a chance to think of science through a new lens -- a creative lens.

us a chance to think of science through a new lens -- a creative lens.

Shape and form was everywhere. Klint’s paintings revolve around twisting lines and overlapping circles and squares and diamonds and pyramids and triangles. They are mesmerizing and abstract. Each one feels like an enzyme, telling a story, getting its job done, all through shape and form. Even the building itself, with the paintings lining the upward spiral going towards the glass, domed roof: it feels like a living organism.

Science and creativity don’t need to be seen as separate; they are just different manifestations of the beauty of life.

An artist’s skill to visualize and create new forms is a skill that isn’t limited to the art world. The ability to combine creativity with scientific skills is what will allow us to modify and create new enzymes, to look at the world from new perspectives, and to continue discovering the boundless secrets of the beauty that is life.

—Josh Torres

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This year’s 21st annual STEP (the Science and Technology Entry Program) Conference was hosted by the New York State Education Department and Syracuse University at the Albany Marriott Hotel from March 29, 2019 to March 31, 2019.

The goal of the STEP program is to increase the amount of underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students prepared to enter into college and STEM fields.

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At the conference, the CEYE students and staff were in the presence of 42 other universities, colleges and organizations.

The first event of the STEP conference was the STEP Pep Rally/Roll Call where one of the 8 CEYE students was discovered. The Rolleeeee

Sinai Takes on Alban y 21st An nual S TEP Confer ence

Roll Call for the CEYE program at the Icahn School of Medicine was given by the student ambassador, Aaron Das. The chant was: “CEYE is the place to be, NYC diversity (3x) Mount Sinai show some love!"

With poise and a powerful voice, Aaron became the Master of Ceremony for the final dinner of the conference.

Later that night there were multiple activities going on including a Student Photo Booth, Talent Show, Coding Workshop, Zumba Class, and even Glow in the Dark Yoga!

The next day, Saturday, was filled with different workshops and networking events. “The Secrets of College and Medical School Success!” with Dr. Ahsan Ali and “Effective Communication Skills for Multidisciplinary Scientific and Engineering Research” with Kenneth Marshall were two of the most popular workshops. Dr. Ahsan Ali spoke about the challenges he faced growing up as a minority in a poor community, how he was able to overcome them. He then taught a key concept about optimal beliefs in regards to oncology patients which requires self belief, environmental impact, and medication. Kenneth Marshall’s presentation taught the key steps in giving successful presentations which consisted of having confidence, accuracy, poise, and effectively getting a message across.

At the end of the day, there was a college fair with over 20 schools. If a student visited at least 15 schools, they were entered into a raffle to win iPads.

To top off the weekend, the final dinner of the conference featured an amazing Keynote Address by Dr. Nehemiah James Mabry, a groundbreaking STEM educator who has won national awards and participated in extensive research at NASA.

His message was that we shouldn’t just shoot for the stars. The sky isn’t the limit— we’re just getting started.

His final point was that we should be able to step out of our comfort zones in order to achieve greatness.

The end of the conference included Zumba, board games, a movie, and a party. The party attracted most participants ranging from its glow in the dark theme to the amazing food (popcorn, candy, cotton candy, etc) to the modern pop and rap songs.

This conference was truly an event to remember!

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The Museum of the City of New York

Germ City s opposed to the previous Sinai trip, the Guggenheim which we knew about for asdf months, we had a one week notice for the trip to the Museum of the City of New York exhibit: Germ City. I had no idea what to expect; I didn’t know if it would be an art exhibit, a scientific explanation of different pathogens, or information about the impact of microbes in our society. It ended being a combination of the three.

After waiting for 30 minutes outside the museum we entered and were introduced to our tour guide, a Columbia going to pre-med, but also studied med, but also studied history.

Eventually we were led to a large room full of interesting items. The first object we saw was an art piece made of real blood! The piece was a glass sculp

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sculpture with blood from gay men within it who were protesting the fact that it was illegal for them and other members of the LGBT community to donate their blood for fear they had HIV. This law is very discriminatory because HIV is a virus that affects all types of people, but there was a stigma that it only affected a specific group of people. The law was repealed in 2015, but a new law was put in that says that people from the LGBT community need to be abstinent for at least a year before they donate blood, which is still discriminatory.

This artwork brought to light social issues

that still exist to this day.

Another interesting item in the exhibit was the “iron lung”: a machine used to keep patients with polio alive by acting as artificial respiration or a “lung”. We were all surprised at how something that such an ancient looking device could actually keep a person alive by allowing them to breath. Ironically, next to this machine was a case with a lung inside that was infected with tuberculosis. It was black and decrepit, which I found especially interesting after studying tuberculosis all year with my dyad partner Aaron Das. The rest of the exhibit was mostly pictures and artifacts of New York City throughout the 20th century which was very eye opening because I never knew just how dirty New York actually was before there was any government regulation. For example, there used to be no sewage system so people would dump all their waste into the street which was the perfect breeding ground for dangerous microbes.

All in all, the trip showed a very different aspect of science than the art at the Guggenheim. Instead of thinking about science at its roots with shape and form through painting,

you think about how these bacteria and viruses affected people in our own city in historical and social settings.

The exhibit revealed how social and political choices influence the spread of disease which leads to further innovation in science as a whole.

—Matthias Jacquot 21

What is the

Central Dogma of Molecular Biology?

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f all the fundamental concepts of biology, the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology is among the simplest, yet most essential.

It is usually taught with a diagram that looks like this:

In essence, it describes the transformation of genetic information in biology.

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In your cells, genetic information from your DNA is first transcribed, where special enzymes create a single-stranded nucleic acid called RNA as it reads the DNA’s bases. If needed, RNA can also be converted back into DNA with an enzyme called reverse transcriptase.

However, the RNA produced by transcription (called a messenger RNA, or mRNA for short), will usually be translated.

transcription (called a messenger RNA, or mRNA for short), will usually be translated. The mRNA will then travel to organelles of the cell called ribosomes, where more special enzymes will process the mRNA and create a chain of amino acids based on the template.

The final product, the chain of amino acids, is a protein.ated.

Simple, right?

Well, the implications of this flow of genetic information are massive.

You see, in our bodies, proteins are everywhere, and they do almost everything. To list a few: In our connective tissues such as tendons, proteins known collagen keep the structural integrity.

In our red blood cells, proteins called hemoglobin carry oxygen for delivery to the other cells in our body.

Enzymes, which are involved in situations ranging from food digestion to DNA replication, are proteins.

Antibodies produced by our immune cells that help to eliminate germs are proteins.

The voltage-gated sodium channels on our neurons that allow electrical signals to reach the brain are proteins.

When something goes wrong in the body, then, it is almost always something to do with proteins.

Suppose, for instance, the cyclins and the cyclin-dependent-kinases in our cells malfunction. These proteins keep cell division under control and make sure that the cell does not divide if the DNA sustains too much damage. The result would be uncontrolled division of highly mutative cells, known far and wide as cancer.

How about if MHC (major histocompatibility complex) I and II malfunction? These cell-surface proteins are used by our immune system to recognize healthy cells and eliminate potential germs. The result could be some form of autoimmune disease where our immune cells are incapable of differentiating between friend and foe.

What if our hemoglobin malfunctions?

The oxygen carrying capacity of our red blood cells would surely be affected, and may lead to painful diseases such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia.

Everything in science comes back to the Central Dogma.

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The malfunctioning proteins that cause diseases are products of DNA; by referring back to the Dogma, scientists can find remedies to diseases by modifying DNA itself, through gene therapy. The Central Dogma is the underlying principle behind gene therapy; by understanding and applying it, the possibilities in all fields of medicine become boundless.

—Raphael Hao One important aspect of Sinai is learning how to research. Here we have the introduction from Mr. Bryan Fernández’s upcoming research article:

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The Relationship Between Cancer and Commercial Microwaves

Commercial microwaves are used in most parts of the world. In 1997 the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics made a report that over 90% of Americans owned a microwave (1). In 2008 a market research study found that 95% of Australians had a microwave (2). 88% of Canadians owned one by 1998 and 40% of French citizens owned a microwave by 1994 (3,4).

Microwaves are even being used in some undeveloped countries. The general public uses their microwaves without worry about side effects.

There are a few people that believe microwaves have dangerous side effects such as cancer. This misconception can create small inconveniences with people having to use slower methods of heating food. The bigger and more serious

inconveniences with people having to use slower methods of heating food. The bigger and more serious problem is that these beliefs are created by a spread of misinformation. Throughout this paper, I will explain the science behind microwaves while also giving advice on how to avoid misinformation.

—Bryan Fernández 1. https://www.dallasfed.org/fed/~/media/documen ts/fed/annual/1999/ar97.pdf 2. The Westinghouse How Australia Cooks Report (PDF), Westinghouse, October 2008, https://www.electroluxgroup.com/en/electroluxannual-report-2016-is-published-23333/ 3. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-008x/11-008-x2000003-eng.pdf 4. https://www.freedoniagroup.com/brochure/20xx /2015smwe.pdf

Proust Was a Neuroscientist Book Review Neuroscience is one of the most fascinating fields of biology. In recent years, it has rapidly grown, advancing our knowledge of humanity and consciousness.

Understanding neuroscience is ultimately an effort to understand human nature, our own perception of the world, and everything from involuntary bodily processes to the complicated nature of memory.

Throughout this year I have discovered my fascination for neuroscience and the beauty of its transcendental nature in forming the human experience. In class, Hossein recommended that we read one of his favorite books “Proust Was a Neuroscientist� by Jonah Lehrer, a scientific researcher and author.mation.

Lehrer beautifully crafts a book that illustrates the symbiotic relationship between art and science.

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In society, art and science, humanities and STEM, are often seen as mutually exclusive areas, similar to the misconception about the left and right brains defining personality and skills.

Just as our understanding of the brain strays more and more from broad generalizations like that of the left brain being for people who are creative, big thinkers, and intuitive and the right brain being for people who are logical and analytical, the value of interdisciplinary studies has been discovered to be much more appealing and accurate.

As much as education about science is substantially more accessible than it used to be, many people fail to recognize the appearance of science in all aspects of life, namely in art. In a world with scientific breakthroughs happening everyday, it can be easy to forget the history of artists and writers who detailed and described phenomena that only now scientists can explain.

Lehrer’s book examines the way that artists and writers often predicted neuroscience discoveries around memory, free will, sight, hearing, language, psyche, and feeling..

“Science is seen through the optic of art, and art is interpreted in the light of science.”

Lehrer begins the book talking about Walt Whitman’s writings about the symbiotic relationship between the soul and the body.

Whitman’s experience in the Civil War interacting with soldiers suffering from phantom limb syndrome and PTSD helped him cultivate a realization that the body and the soul are inseparable, and always affect each other.

Neuroscience relies on the communication between the flesh, metaphysical emotions, and feelings. Whitman’s revelations may have initially been seen as far fetched, spiritual and speculative, but have now proven to be quite scientific. Additionally, Lehrer writes about Marcel Proust, a french novelist, and his

scientific. Additionally, Lehrer writes about Marcel Proust, a french novelist, and his examination of the mundane madeleine. Proust writes about how smell and taste evoke memories as he stares at the madeleine and the way memories seem to change over time. But at the time Proust was writing there was no scientific way to explain these feelings and the understanding of the mind and body were severely limited.

However, now we know that the nature of memory is very plastic, subject to change and additionally the connection between the human senses and emotions is highly correlated. Proust already knew what was going on while it took science years to catch up.

There is clearly something special about art in a way that science can’t always explain, and that is ok. These are just a few of the many examples where writers and artists communicate a feeling, a vision, and intuition about their body and their perception of the world in ways that sometimes predates or even compliments science.

Science isn’t just about facts and evidence, there is inherently a human component. The human experience and the field of neuroscience are ultimately a product of perception. Art gives a voice to that natural perception of reality and as a result, life as we know it.iments science..

“The experiment and the poem complete each other. The mind is made whole.”

—Yasemin Schmitt

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, S D I A , V I H s c i t i l o P and anhattan hosts the AIDS Walk every year. This year, on May 19th, I went with some other some other students students from HSMSE as walkers. It was great to be part of a community of thousands, marching for a greater cause. The walk was for more than just individual health: it was a walk to support marginalized communities around the world, communities that have long had decreased access to healthcare. As so many walk every year, we must remember that science and health aren’t separate from judgement; judgement negatively impacts others.

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In the case of HIV/AIDS, stigma has killed millions.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS for short, is the final stage of Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV. It significantly weakens the immune system and renders people more susceptible to other diseases, such as tuberculosis. Originally restricted to Africa, it has since spread worldwide, with

with the US facing a large epidemic in the 80s. Scientific research has come far to block viral development and help infected people, but not without initial challenges.

When HIV/AIDS first reached the US, it primarily affected gay males as a sexually transmitted disease.

Misinformation had led people to believe that it was directly caused by same-sex activity, and it was thus called derogatory titles such as “gay cancer.” With the LGBT community being a heavily stigmatized group, there was initially little government response, and many argued that this “gay cancer” was a punishment from God. The peak of the HIV/AIDS crisis, in fact, coincided with a significant amount of backlash against the LGBT civil rights movement, slowing down progress.

Whether or not they had actually contracted the disease, individuals in the gay community suffered greatly as they watched friends and loved ones die. On NBC’s “Today” show in 1983, activist Larry Kramer infamously asked the host, “...can you imagine what it must be like if you had lost 20 of your friends in the last 18 months?”

average gay male. And this was a reality ignored by the broader straight community.

The first federal government report on AIDS came in 1981. President Reagan did not mention “AIDS” at all until 1985, after over 10,000 Americans died, and after the virus began to spread to other groups, such as drug users. Treatments eventually came, but none effective enough to halt and reverse the disease until 1995.

This was the reality for the 29

Progress has been made in the past few decades, and the diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. However, challenges still exist. Treatment is less accessible to poorer groups, and HIV/AIDS thus continues to be commonplace in regions such as the Mississippi Delta, along with several cities in the south. Different groups also have different rates of infection; the CDC predicted in 2016 that about 1 in 2 gay/bisexual black men will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime—if current rates of diagnosis continue. Additionally, about 1 in 4 gay/bisexual Latino men will be diagnosed. In contrast, 1 in 11 white gay/bisexual men, and only 1 in 99 Americans as a whole, will be diagnosed.

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Health is universal, but healthcare is unequal.

Marginalized groups are often at higher risk for diseases that the broader population does not need to worry about. It is imperative, then, that we not only focus on creating treatments for diseases, but also make sure that treatment is accessible for all. —Angelo Lontok