Hepatitis B Foundation

Last updated
The Hepatitis B Foundation
AbbreviationHBF
Formation1991
FounderJoan and Tim Block
Type non profit
Purposecure for hepatitis B

The Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for hepatitis B and improving the lives of those already affected by the disease. Established in 1991, the foundation's headquarters is in Doylestown, PA. [1] It is the only non-profit in the United States focused solely on hepatitis B. [2] The foundation conducts biomedical research, promotes disease awareness, and acts as an information source for patients, the medical community, and the general public. [3] The Hepatitis B Foundation's research arm, the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, has the largest number of non-profit scientists dedicated to hepatitis B research in the world. [4] The organization also leads national public policy initiatives and international public health programs. [5]

Contents

History and organization

Founding

The Hepatitis B Foundation was established in 1991 by a young couple, Joan and Tim Block. [2] After Joan was diagnosed with hepatitis B at the age of 29, she and Tim encountered a lack of support and few resources to cope with the new diagnosis. To meet the unmet needs of those living with chronic hepatitis B, they created the Hepatitis B Foundation with the help of the other co-founders, Janine and Paul Witte. The first meetings of the foundation were held in their living room. Tim Block, a professor of virology at Thomas Jefferson University at the time, switched his research focus from herpesviridae to hepatitis B. He reached out to Baruch S. Blumberg, the Nobel prize winning discoverer of the hepatitis B virus, who invited Block to join him as a research fellow at Oxford University. [6] [7] Blumberg ultimately became a founding member of the Hepatitis B Foundation's research arm. [6] [7] Joan and Tim served in leadership roles throughout the growth of the organization. Joan Block served as executive director until retiring in 2017, while Tim Block remains as president of the foundation and its affiliated research arm, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. [8] [9]

Organization and operations

The Hepatitis B Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides resources and information about hepatitis B, engages in public health outreach campaigns, and leads public policy initiatives. Their website acts as a resource for patients, the medical community, and general public to learn about the diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B. Patient-centered support groups and trained counselors, who answer email and telephone questions, can be found on their website. [10] [11] Their website is available in 12 different languages, including Chinese, Hindi, Korean, and Vietnamese. For the medical community, the Hepatitis B Foundation organizes the International HBV Scientific Meeting annually for scientists discuss to new discoveries in hepatitis B research. [12] The organization is also actively involved in policy-making, helping ensure hepatitis B is a health priority at the local and federal level. [13] [14] [15]

The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute was established in 2003 by the Hepatitis B Foundation to conduct focused biomedical research on hepatitis B. Originally known as the Institute of Hepatitis and Virus Research, it was renamed in 2013 to honor its late co-founder and discoverer of the hepatitis B virus, Baruch S. Blumberg. [16] [17] The research institute contains the largest group of non-profit scientists in the United States working on hepatitis B research. [4] In 2006, the Hepatitis B Foundation opened its first research facility on Delaware Valley College's campus to house the Baruch S Blumberg Institute. This research facility was recognized by the state as a Pennsylvania Keystone Innovation Zone. [18] [19] [20] In 2006, the foundation built a research center to accommodate its expanding activities. [21] This new center, called the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center, presently acts as the headquarters for the Hepatitis B Foundation and Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. The Hepatitis B Foundation's biotechnology center has created over 700 jobs and brought in more than $1.8 billion to the Bucks County economic region between 2013 and 2015. [22] In 2017, the foundation secured a $13 million grant to expand its Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center by 47,000 square feet, which will add 100 new jobs to its research facility. [23]

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References

  1. ↑ "Terms of Service Violation". www.bloomberg.com.
  2. 1 2 "Hepatitis B Foundation - National Prevention Information Network". npin.cdc.gov.
  3. ↑ "Mission & History » Hepatitis B Foundation". www.hepb.org.
  4. 1 2 "Renowned Scientists Join Baruch S. Blumberg Institute To Cure Hepatitis B". 30 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Hepatitis B group launches campaign". The Intelligencer. February 14, 2011. The Hepatitis B Foundation which is headquartered in Doylestown, is launching its Gateway to Care Public Health Campaign in Haimen City, China
  6. 1 2 "Nobel Laureate joins Hepatitis B Foundation as a Distinguished Scholar". The Bucks County Herald. January 25, 2007. Nobel Laureate Baruch Blumberg has been named the first Hepatitis B Foundation Trustee Distinguished Scholar.
  7. 1 2 "In the Cancer Centers". The Cancer Letter. 33 (4): 7. February 2, 2007.
  8. ↑ writer, Crissa Shoemaker DeBree, staff. "Search for hepatitis B cure a labor of love".
  9. ↑ "Board of Directors & Staff » Hepatitis B Foundation". www.hepb.org.
  10. ↑ "Hepatitis B Foundation". Newtown Gazette. Times Publishing Newspapers Inc. February 12, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Hepatitis B Foundation". Doylestown Observer. Times Publishing Newspapers Inc. January 29, 2010. p. 2. Each year HBF's award-winning web site receives one million visits, trained counselors answer hundreds of email and telephone requests, their free publications provided the latest news and the annual meetings they sponsor are highly respected.
  12. ↑ "International HBV Meeting". International HBV Meeting. Hepatitis B Foundation. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  13. ↑ Philips, K. (May 5, 2006). "Doylestown Celebration Dedicated to Hepatitis B Awareness". KYW NewsRadio. Archived from the original on May 5, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2006. The first Friday celebration in Doylestown will educate local community leaders, educators, business owners, and residents that Hepatitis B is something that everyone needs to be aware of. There will be displays, discussions, and informative literature.
  14. ↑ "Lineup of music and art at First Friday Doylestown". Bucks County Herald. May 11, 2006.
  15. ↑ Debree, C. (August 18, 2013). "Honored for her disease advocacy". The Intelligencer. Earlier this year, the foundation's mission got a boost when the U.S. Department of Justice said hepatitis B patients are protected under federal disability law in a case brought by the foundation against a New Jersey medical school on behalf of two students who were denied admission because they had the disease.
  16. ↑ "PA Biotechnology Center to Begin $10 Million Expansion". 13 October 2016.
  17. ↑ "About Us - Baruch S. Blumberg Institute of Living Science". blumberginstitute.org.
  18. ↑ George, J. (September 1, 2006). "BioIncubator hatched to aid researchers, startups". Philadelphia Business Journal. More than five years after Dr. Timothy Block first conceived the idea for a building where researchers, students, and entrepreneurs would work and learn side by side, the $15 million Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center of Bucks Country is set to open next week in Buckingham. The 62,000 square-foot facility, which gets its official unveiling Sept. 7, was created through a Partnership between the hepatitis B foundation and the Delaware Valley College. The center... will serve as the foundations' new headquarters, a teaching site for college students from DelVal and Drexel University, and a place to nurture fledgling life sciences companies.
  19. ↑ Wilen, J. (September 7, 2006). "Biotech center nets $250,000". The Intelligencer. Bucks County's new biotechnology center opened to much fanfare Thursday morning, and additionally received a $250,000 state grant at the same time. The money came from the state department of Community and Economic Development, which designated the new 62,000 square foot biotechnology business incubator and research facility - and two other Bucks county sites - a Pennsylvania Keystone Innovation Zone.
  20. ↑ "Governor Rendel Launches Bucks County Innovation Zone; Announces $250,000 in Operational Funding". Office of the Governor Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Governor's Press Office. September 7, 2016.
  21. ↑ Seller, DeBree (1 November 2015). "Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center leaders look to grow Bucks County facility". The Intelligencer. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  22. ↑ writer, Crissa Shoemaker, staff. "Report: Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center an 'economic engine' for Bucks County".
  23. ↑ George, J. (April 12, 2017). "100+ New Jobs on the way: PA Biotech Center to begin long-awaited $13M expansion". Philadelphia Business Journal. The biotechnology center of Bucks county is breaking ground Wednesday for its long-awaited $13 million expansion project. The project will add 47,000 square feet of space.
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