Senator Clinton hosted the event, with members of the Washington establishment in the audience, including Senator Chuck Hagel and former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina.

Also present were Dr Gao's sister, Gao Mingfeng , who lives in Chicago, and her daughter, Guo Yanguang , who lives in Canada.

Dressed in a simple black-and-white blouse, the 80-year-old smiled and waved to the crowd as she was presented with her award. The audience gave her a standing ovation. When the event ended, some sought her autograph.

Dr Gao posed for photos with Senator Clinton, who was instrumental in having the activist attend the event. When it was reported that Henan officials had placed Dr Gao under house arrest to prevent her from visiting the US, the senator wrote to President Hu Jintao and Vice-Premier Wu Yi urging them to intervene.

The ceremony was the highlight of Dr Gao's visit to Washington, during which she has been busy meeting dignitaries and granting interviews to Chinese and international media.

On Tuesday night, she and the other six award winners, including three Chinese women, were honoured at a reception hosted by the Indian embassy.

During a Wednesday morning press conference with the award winners at Georgetown University, Dr Gao attracted so much media attention that the organisers had to direct the press questions to the other honorees. 'Does anyone have questions other than for Dr Gao?' the organiser asked.

During interviews, Dr Gao spoke passionately about the plight of Aids victims in China. Her eyes filled with tears when she talked of orphans whose parents had died from the disease.

Asked if she had been sightseeing, she replied: 'I have no time to see anything. Any free moment I have, I try to take a nap.'

But the high-profile spotlight on Dr Gao's visit did raise concern among family members. 'We are a bit worried about her,' her sister said. 'We don't know how all this attention will affect her safety when she goes back to China.'