When
patients with a perplexing new immunodeficiency disorder began
to appear at the NIH Clinical Center in the early 80s, a new
nurse on the staff, Barbara Fabian Baird, volunteered to care
for them. As one of the first nurses to work with individuals
with HIV, she helped develop safety guidelines for AIDS patient
care.
In 1983, she became one of the first nurses doing HIV/AIDS
research. Dr. Henry Masur hired her to assist with his and
Dr. Clifford Lane’s AIDS research studies. Besides seeing
HIV/AIDS patients in the clinic, she drew blood, performed
lab work, managed study data on a computer database, and educated
nurses around the country on the care of AIDS patients. Lacking
an office for the first two years, she worked out of a cart
that she wheeled through the halls. At a time when nurse researchers
were uncommon, Ms. Baird was included as an author on many
important scientific papers.
"To be on the cutting edge of science, characterizing a
new disease and working with brilliant investigators was a fascinating
learning experience," she says. However, the job did come
with certain risks. Despite following the guidelines, she was
accidentally stuck with needles from AIDS patients three times.
Although she was not infected with HIV, one needlestick did
leave her with a subclinical case of hepatitis.
Ms. Baird continued to work with Dr. Masur as a nurse researcher
until she retired from the NIH in 2000. Currently, she is
employed as the Director of HIV/AIDS Services for Cobb County
in Marietta, Georgia.
When
patients with a perplexing new immunodeficiency disorder began
to appear at the NIH Clinical Center in the early 80s, a new
nurse on the staff, Barbara Fabian Baird, volunteered to care
for them. As one of the first nurses to work with individuals
with HIV, she helped develop safety guidelines for AIDS patient
care.