COLUMBUS -- Darrell Ward, senior medical writer in The Ohio State University Office of University Relations, has received a Fulbright Scholar Award that will allow him to spend six months conducting research for a book about how southern Africa is confronting its AIDS epidemic.

Ward's book, tentatively titled Heroes of a Quiet Catastrophe: Africans Fighting AIDS in Botswana, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe, will be his fourth. He also is the author of The AmFAR AIDS Handbook: The Complete Guide to Understanding HIV and AIDS (1998), The Cancer Handbook: A Guide for the Nonspecialist (1995) and Reporting on Cancer: A Guide for Journalists (1994).

Ward, of WESTERVILLE, has written about the work of more than 200 cancer researchers affiliated with Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center for Frontiers magazine and in news releases for almost 10 years.

According to Earle Holland, director of research communications at Ohio State and a nationally recognized pioneer in the science writing field, Ward's Fulbright is unusual. "This is, to my knowledge, the first time a university science writer has been selected for this honor, and may well be the first time a university public information officer has received one," Holland said.

Ward previously wrote for publications in Oregon and served as an associate scientist for a private marine research and testing laboratory, and then as a research assistant for an Environmental Protection Agency marine field station on the Oregon coast. He also was an emergency medical technician for seven years.

Under the Fulbright, Ward will spend two months each in Botswana, Swaziland and Zimbabwe, first working with an agency that cares for people with HIV and then preparing profiles of three individuals in each country who are doing devoted, inspirational work to fight the spread of AIDS.

"The goal of the project is to show Americans that Africans are, in fact, struggling to cope with the epidemic. The ultimate goal is to attract more outside help to southern Africa to fight the epidemic," Ward said.

The project, which will run from July 1 through Dec. 31, will include Ward's attendance of the 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa, in mid-July.

As part of receiving a Fulbright grant, Ward is expected to give a lecture at host institutions. He plans to talk about the role and importance of university science writers in communicating university research. African universities do not have such positions, and he will describe how the Office of University Relations, and specifically the research communications unit, provides this function for Ohio State.

"That way, I will be serving as a representative of Ohio State University during my stay in Africa," Ward said.

Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools.

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