Dr. Anne-Marie Zajdlik is a family physician and regional HIV specialist.
Her career began in the ‘90s, at a time when fear surrounding HIV/AIDS was rampant and dangerous rumours created misunderstanding of its transmission.
These challenges only inspired Dr. Zajdlik to know more about the virus, leading her to start the ARCH clinic Guelph and Waterloo, two provincially funded HIV/AIDS clinics which now provide care to 700 HIV positive patients in our region and beyond.
At one point, she was one of the only HIV/AIDS physicians available in the area, going from treating nine patients to over 70.
Her tireless efforts to improve services for these patients led to the establishment of the Masai Clinic, a provincially funded HIV/AIDS clinic in Guelph. The Masai Clinic is now part of ARCH (HIV/AIDS Resources & Community Health).
She is also the founder of Bracelet of Hope, a charitable community-based organization that raises awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa and funds for HIV/AIDS relief in Lesotho, Africa.
The Bracelet of Hope Campaign raised $1 million for the Tsepong Clinic in Lesotho, providing the funding necessary for the clinic’s 2009 operating costs, keeping 11,000 people alive on treatment.
When the COVID pandemic began, Anne-Marie started posting regular updates about COVID-19 to provide reliable information and updates on the virus, in an effort to make people less fearful and more informed.
The Health Care award goes to an individual or group that has had an important impact on the health care of the community.
Congratulations, Anne-Marie!
This award is proudly sponsored by Apex Trials.
