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March 4, 2010

UW global health chair to receive Ned Behnke Leadership Award

Dr. King Holmes, the William H. Foege Endowed Chair of the UW Department of Global Health, is the 2010 recipient of the Ned Behnke Leadership Award from Lifelong AIDS Alliance.

“The award is presented to a special person who exemplifies the leadership and commitment of the Behnke family,” said Rich Thorvilson, major gifts manager at Lifelong. “[Holmes] exemplifies exceptional vision and courage in promoting AIDS awareness in the community.”

Holmes will accept the award on March 9 at Lifelong’s Caring for Our Community Breakfast, a fundraiser attended by community leaders and supporters of Lifelong.

Based in the Northwest, Lifelong AIDS Alliance is a service organization committed to AIDS prevention, as well as assistance and advocacy for people living with HIV and AIDS.

The award was established in the early 1990s in honor of Ned Behnke, a prominent local deaf artist who died in 1989. The award was created by his family and has since been presented to 14 other community leaders.

In addition to his role as department chair, Holmes also directs the UW Center for AIDS & STD and leads extensive research on HIV/AIDS. In 2007, he had the largest single grant received by the UW in the amount of $29.7 million for a collaborative project in international AIDS education and training.