[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 20]
[Senate]
[Page 27669]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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         TRIBUTE TO NELSON MICHAEL, JEROME KIM, AND MERLIN ROBB

 Mr. AKAKA. Madam President, today I acknowledge three sons of 
Hawaii. They are remarkable individuals and leaders in the U.S. 
Military HIV Research Program. COL Nelson Michael, COL Jerome Kim, and 
COL Merlin Robb have worked vigorously to develop a safe and effective 
AIDS vaccine that has become a true glimmer of hope paving the way for 
significant advances in our fight against this disease.
  These three men, along with the entire U.S. Military HIV Research 
Program worked side by side with the Thai Ministry of Public Health to 
conduct the largest study worldwide, a 6-year vaccine field trial held 
in Thailand--historically one of the countries hardest hit by AIDS. And 
Hawaii became a vital midpoint and meeting place for Thai and U.S. 
military researchers as experts from both Thailand and the Walter Reed 
Army Institute of Research in Maryland worked tirelessly to move this 
initiative forward.
  The study consisted of 16,000 volunteers and tested two vaccines, one 
that prepares the immune system by training cells to recognize and 
destroy the virus and one that intensifies that response. The study 
found that the two-vaccine approach proved to be 31-percent effective 
in preventing HIV infection.
  COL Nelson Michael, M.D., Ph.D, is a Punahou High School graduate and 
his father, Jerrold Michael was dean of the University of Hawaii School 
of Public Health. Colonel Michael is currently the director of the 
division of retrovirology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of 
Research. Prior to serving as director, he was the chief of the 
department of molecular diagnostics and pathogenesis.
  COL Jerome Kim, M.D., is an Iolani High School graduate and a 
clinical associate professor of medicine at the John A. Burns School of 
Medicine, University of Hawaii. He is deputy director and chief of the 
department of molecular virology and pathogenesis, division of 
retrovirology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
  COL Merlin Robb, M.D., is a Radford High School graduate and a 
program director for the HJF HIV U.S. Military HIV Research Program. 
Dr. Robb is a retired lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Army Medical 
Corps and serves as assistant professor of pediatrics, department of 
pediatrics, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, USU, in 
Bethesda, MD.
  The published study results were presented at the AIDS Vaccine 
Conference 2009 held in Paris, France, and show great promise as we all 
look to one day soon make this disease part of our past. 
Congratulations to all of you for your hard work and continued 
service.

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