[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13636]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING WENDY WERTHEIMER

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to acknowledge Wendy Wertheimer, an 
outstanding Federal employee who has spent decades working to advance 
the domestic and international HIV/AIDS research effort. Wendy is about 
to complete nearly 30 years of Federal service that began in the Senate 
and is now coming to an end at the National Institutes of Health.
  Like many bright young people in Washington, Wendy began her career 
right here in the U.S. Senate, working for Senator Jacob Javits. Later 
she joined the legislative staff of what was then called the Senate 
Labor and Human Resources Committee, led by Chairman Edward Kennedy and 
Ranking Member Jacob Javits. Wendy's first assignment was the Venereal 
Diseases Control Act, which many on staff saw as a form of hazing for a 
new, young staff member. But Wendy was personally connected to the 
issue. Her grandfather had been the chair of Dermatology and 
Syphilology at a hospital in Pittsburgh and had conducted early 
clinical studies of syphilis. She embraced the assignment, and the bill 
passed with bipartisan support. It was the first bill Wendy had ever 
worked on--she was off to a good start.
  In 1979, the American Social Health Association established the first 
advocacy group for venereal disease control and research, and Wendy was 
offered a job as its director of government affairs. After hearing the 
news, Wendy's mother was horrified and told her she will never get 
another date because everyone will assume that she has a venereal 
disease. Wendy accepted the job anyway and became the first venereal 
disease, or VD, advocate in Washington. She was a pioneer in the field 
and began working on a number of new education and research training 
programs, including the National VD Hotline.
  On June 5, 1981, the first cases of what we now know as AIDS were 
reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. By the end 
of 1981, five to six new cases of the disease were being reported each 
week and an epidemic of fear was breaking out. The American Social 
Health Association became one of the first organizations to advocate 
bringing attention to this disease, and Wendy found herself on the 
frontlines combatting the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In 1991, she was recruited 
by the NIH to help establish the Office of Research on Women's Health. 
And since 1992, Wendy has been the senior advisor, responsible for 
planning, policy, legislation and communications at the Office of AIDS 
Research at the NIH.
  It is hard to imagine, but when Wendy Wertheimer began at the NIH, an 
AIDS diagnosis meant a sure and agonizing death. We have come a long 
way since the disease was first reported, and in many ways progress on 
HIV/AIDS is one of the most remarkable success stories in the history 
of biomedical research. Wendy Wertheimer shares in this success and the 
research accomplishments that led to lifesaving treatments and a 
hopeful future about what more can be achieved.
  For more than two decades, Wendy has worked with Dr. Jack 
Whitescarver--the longest serving director at the Office of AIDS 
Research at NIH--who is also retiring this year. And here is what he 
said:

       We have made critical and even breathtaking progress in 
     AIDS research against many odds. We have been challenged to 
     confront and address stigma, homophobia, racial disparities, 
     and criticisms of the AIDS research investment. We have come 
     a long way, but the AIDS pandemic is far from over and 
     remains a threat to global populations. Any declaration that 
     the end is near is premature, inaccurate, and perilous to 
     progress against the pandemic.

  He is right. Being HIV-positive is not the death sentence it once 
was, but the battle is far from over. And although Dr. Whitescarver and 
Wendy Wertheimer are retiring, the fight goes on, and the work 
continues. I want to thank them for all they have done and all they 
will do to combat this terrible disease. They have set a high bar for 
the dedicated public servants who follow them.
  I will close with this. I strongly believe in the role of public 
service to create change and make a difference. Wendy Wertheimer's 
years of service reflect these values. I am honored to congratulate her 
on a job well done, and I am lucky to count her as a friend.

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