In the 1980s people all around the world were really scared because of the AIDS epidemic. A lot of people were dying from it. At that time if you got diagnosed with HIV it was like a death sentence. Then Dr. David Ho, an American virologist came along and changed everything. 

Dr. David Ho was very smart. Did not give up. While other scientists were trying to figure out how the virus worked Dr. David Ho did things differently. He found out that the virus was spreading faster than people thought and he believed that the only way to stop it was to use many drugs at the same time.

This was a breakthrough and it led to the creation of the “AIDS cocktail” or highly active antiretroviral therapy. Before Dr. David Ho discovered that people with AIDS were dying quickly.. After his treatment became available the number of people dying from AIDS decreased a lot. Dr. David Ho did not just save lives in the United States his work also helped save millions of people in countries especially in poor countries. In 1996 he was named the Man of the Year by time magazine because of what he did. He is still a humble person who works on vaccines for new viruses today.

For students who are thinking about the future Dr. David Ho is an example of how science can solve big problems. He did not wait for someone to find the answer, he looked at the data and challenged what people thought about medical research. Dr. David Ho’s story shows how people from the AAPI community have been helping to keep the world healthy. He reminds us that when we use our brains to care about people and work hard we can turn something into something good. Dr. David Ho’s life shows that one person who is dedicated to science can really change the world.