Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - Sunday, June 3, 2001
Sabin Russell
He joined the county hospital on July 1, 1981, as chief of cancer care. But it would not be long before the brilliant young researcher would become the driving force that made San Francisco General synonymous with the finest AIDS care in the country.
The early AIDS years - before the first antibody tests became available - were terrifying to the health care providers who did not know what they were dealing with. "We knew it was a lethal disease. We didn't know how it was transmitted," he recalled. "We had nightmares about infecting our kids."
San Francisco General's Ward 5A became internationally famous as the first hospital unit dedicated solely to the care of AIDS patients. These days, the famed AIDS clinic has been strained by budget cuts and sagging morale.
In January, Volberding left the hospital to become chief of medicine at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco. He no longer sees AIDS patients on a daily basis, but he continues to battle the epidemic.
The giant federal program, Volberding said, has more HIV patients than any other medical system in the nation. "HIV is something I absolutely cannot walk away from," said Volberding. "It's too much a part of me."
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