An alumnus of the University of Cincinnati, Mark Lanyon spent most of his life as a professional dancer and singer. Everything changed one day in the late summer of 2001 while living and working in New York City, when an epic event imperceptibly shifted his priorities. After moving to Los Angeles, he rediscovered a scientific acuity as a Communications Manager for the American Academy of HIV Medicine. As his knowledge of virology and pharmacology increased he took a position at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation in the medical division and began to pursue a masters degree in Biomedical Engineering. After completing his certification as an HIV Testing Counselor, Mark came to work in the Public Health Division as a Program Manager of the Mobile Testing Unit. He is proud to have helped conceive and develop the Client Advocacy protocol for which he is now the Program Manger. This unique position is the culmination of both his innate skill in communication and knowledge of HIV medicine.
Adrian Aguilar was born and raised in Cancun, Mexico and has been living with HIV for over 20 yrs. He started as an HIV/GLBT activist by establishing the first local non-profit agency in his home town at the age of 21. His education started as a Humanities major in Mexico and was completed in extensive specialized training and certifications from government agencies, the University Of South Carolina and the Schools of Public Health. He came to the United States in 1997 starting as a volunteer with agencies in Los Angeles which led to full-time positions in HIV counseling, treatment advocacy, peer counseling, group facilitating and managing programs for HIV/AIDS seminars. After fighting and managing his HIV for so many years his greatest personal achievement was in 2002, when he became the first Mexican officially granted political asylum because of HIV and became a legal resident of the United States. Later, he was a spokes model for the first media campaign of HIVSTOPSWITHME for the City Of West Hollywood and served on the Los Angeles Commission on HIV for over 4 yrs. He is proud of his accomplishments and utilizes his strength in service to others, helping to break the stigma and exemplifying a positive individual living with this disease.
Siddarth Puri has been involved with HIV research, outreach, and education since 2001. As an undergraduate and graduate student at UCLA, he participated in academic research that focused on increasing access to care for minority and marginalized communities at risk for HIV. Additionally, he worked at the Gay and Lesbian Center as a researcher and counselor. He has also been involved with HIV advocacy and education in India where he worked with commercial sex-workers on HIV education. He hopes to bring his experience to AHF and continue to learn from his fellow counselors and patients.