Willenberg (Loreen) Papers, 1983-2022

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Summary

Title:
Loreen Willenberg papers
Dates:
1983-2022
Creators:
Willenberg, Loreen and Willenberg, Loreen
Extent:
1.42 Linear Feet (1 carton, 1 box)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Loreen Willenberg papers, MSS 2020-22. Archives and Special Collections, University of California, San Francisco.

Background

Scope and content:

Biographical materials, correspondence, ephemera, notebooks, press materials, and reports collected by Loreen Willenberg, an HIV positive Northern California woman who is also an "elite controller" or a long-term non-progressor (LTNP), meaning that her HIV has not developed into AIDS. It also means that she does not require anti-retroviral therapy, the standard treatment for HIV. Elite controllers are extremely rare and represent about 1% of the globally infected community. In Willenberg's case, her status is due to a particularly strong immune response that can probably be attributed to genetics.

Willenberg was diagnosed in 1992, after which she became a subject of great interest to the medical community and participated in numerous studies, who are interested in elite controllers as the potential key to unlocking an HIV vaccine or possibly even a cure. She has also become an activist, eager to tell her story and help advance science in this area. This collection also includes her collection of articles written about her, educational materials, and press clippings.

Acquisition information:
This collection was donated to the UCSF Archives and Special Collections by Loreen Willenberg in 2021.
Processing information:

Processed by Erin Hurley in 2021.

Arrangement:

Collection was ordered and arranged by Loreen Willenberg, and this organizational scheme has been maintained.

Accruals:

No future additions are expected.

Physical description:
Donor was a smoker and papers smell of smoke, but are in otherwise very good condition.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Erin Hurley
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-04-15 14:52:05 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the UCSF Library . All requests for permission to publish or quote from material must be submitted in writing to the Head of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of UCSF Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Preferred citation:

Loreen Willenberg papers, MSS 2020-22. Archives and Special Collections, University of California, San Francisco.

Location of this collection:
UCSF Library & CKM Archives and Special Collections, 530 Parnassus Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94143-0840, US