Each year, avid cyclists from UCSF join nearly 3000 participants in the
Andrew Lyon, Dep of Biochemistry & Biophysics, graduate student Siobhan Hayes, MA, MPH, Dep of Ob-Gyn/Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health Chris Waddling, PhD, Dep of Biochemistry & Biophysics
AIDS/LifeCycle event, a 7-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Not only are our colleagues undertaking a major athletic endeavor, but they are also raising money to mitigate the effects of AIDS on our community. Each participant fundraises at least $3000 to directly benefit organizations such as the SF AIDS Foundation. Dr. Joanne Engel, MD, PhD, Professor and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, stands as one of this year’s top fundraisers raising over $13,000. She states that “This amount goes beyond the minimum required to ride, because I feel the need to do everything I can to help end this disease.”
This year, there will be 15 cyclists representing UCSF with uniforms gifted by the Department of Urology. As a longtime faculty member and cyclist, Peter Carroll, MD, MPH, Professor and Chair, Department of Urology, is proud to support our community as they fuel their energy to end this disease.
UCSF team lead, Dr. Chris Waddling from the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics credits the 7-day ride as allowing him to “feeling truly athletic for the first time…to understand what real athletes endure: the pain; the feeling of accomplishment; and the feeling of being able to push a little bit harder to reach your goals.”
Returning for his 4th AIDS/LifeCycle ride, Dan Frank, a former UCSF employee is motivated to fundraise and bike because, “Each year I see more and more of how these charities reach out to help those in need.”
Vivian Hernandez, RN from our pediatric critical care unit, is riding to support the AIDS Foundation that has opened a Health Clinic called "STRUT." This clinic is working towards making San Francisco the first city to end AIDS transmission.
The Department of Urology, supporting our riders for the 3 years in a row, wishes them a safe and swift ride from SF to LA!