The Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce will posthumously honor humanitarian Timothy Ray Brown, widely known as the “Berlin Patient,” with the 464th star on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars. The star will be unveiled at the Downtown Palm Springs Park on Friday, December 1st at 2:30 p.m. The Star Dedication Ceremony is open to the public.
- WHAT: 464th Star on the Walk of the Stars
- WHO: Timothy Ray Brown
- WHEN: Friday, December 1st at 2:30 p.m.
- WHERE: Downtown Palm Springs Park
“Timothy Ray Brown’s indelible mark on the world of HIV cure research and his unwavering dedication to raising awareness is admirable and we’re honored to be celebrating him with the 464th star on the Palm Springs Walk of the Stars.,” said Palm Springs Chamber CEO, Nona Watson.
Timothy Ray Brown played a pivotal role in advancing HIV cure research, marking a historic achievement as the first person successfully cured of HIV/AIDS. At the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, where his cure was initially disclosed, he was deliberately given the moniker “The Berlin Patient” to protect his anonymity. Making a pivotal decision, Brown chose to step into the public eye in 2010, a disclosure that sparked global inspiration among researchers to embark on an ambitious HIV cure research agenda, supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Upon relocating to Palm Springs, Brown and his partner, Tim, actively participated in the Let’s Kick AIDS Survivor Syndrome social group. Their dedication extended to supporting the HIV & Aging Research Project – Palm Springs, where they held influential roles on the Stakeholders Advisory Board, shaping research agendas and educational programming. Brown consistently engaged in significant HIV research conferences, such as the Palm Springs Symposium on HIV/AIDS and the West Coast Retrovirus Meeting, both attracting leading scientists from the United States and around the world.
In July 2012, Brown announced the establishment of the Timothy Ray Brown Foundation in Washington, D.C., a foundation dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS.
In September 2020, Brown revealed leukemia had returned in 2019 and that he was terminally ill. Brown passed away on September 29th, 2020. He was 54 years old.
