Next week's 'Gazette' will be last before the holidays

The Dec. 18 Gazette will be the last published before the holidays; the next issue will appear Jan. 8, 2001.

Calendar items for events scheduled from Dec. 18 through Jan. 8 should be submitted by Tuesday, Dec. 12, to gazette@jhu.edu or by fax to 410-516-5251.

Heartfest 2001 features food, music and NFL coach Dan Reeves

Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Reeves and husband and wife heart disease researchers Lewis and Diane Becker will be among those in attendance at the 11th annual Heartfest, to be held 7:30 p.m. to midnight on Jan. 20 at Martin's West. Heartfest 2001 will feature a wine tasting, the rocking sounds of Stevie V and the Heart Attackers and heart-healthy foods from more than 20 area restaurants and caterers.

Reeves, the NFL's winningest active coach, has become a leading advocate of heart-healthy living and heart disease prevention since suffering a heart attack and undergoing bypass surgery several years ago. Lewis and Diane Becker, event honorees and School of Medicine faculty, are two of the world's leading researchers in premature heart disease.

Proceeds from Heartfest benefit the Johns Hopkins Hospital Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. Tickets are $75; discounts are available before Jan. 1 by calling 410-653-9895.

JHUCCP's HIV testing campaign wins national awards

The Red Ribbon Question Mark Campaign to encourage at-risk individuals to get tested for HIV has won three awards in a national competition for excellence in public health communication. The campaign was co-developed by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, the Maryland AIDS Administration and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, in collaboration with Eisner Communications.

The campaign received the gold award for best information campaign and bronze awards in the poster and Internet home page competitions. The awards are sponsored by the National Public Health Information Coalition and are open to public health departments from all 50 states.

The multimedia campaign includes television, radio and transit advertising linked to community outreach activities and provider information. The ads, which have appeared in Baltimore City and Montgomery County, have succeeded in raising awareness and getting more people tested, according to James Williams, associate director of JHUCCP. Testing for HIV is up 48 percent in Baltimore City and 9.6 percent statewide.

SAIS professor receives honor from Brazilian government

The President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, has awarded Riordan Roett, director of SAIS's Western Hemisphere Program, one of the country's highest honors. Brazilian ambassador Rubens Barbosa bestowed upon Roett the Order of Rio Branco with the rank of Commander at a Dec. 2 ceremony in Washington.

The Order of Rio Branco was created in 1963 to formally recognize Brazilian and foreign individuals who have significantly contributed to the promotion of Brazil's relations with the world.