The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new members to its Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). The council will meet on March 14, 2019, from 1 p.m. to 5p.m., and on March 15, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.  The two-day meeting will take place at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.

PACHA provides advice, information and recommendations to the Secretary of HHS on programs, policies and research to promote effective treatment and prevention methods and quality services to people living with HIV and AIDS, including those affected by common co-morbidities.

“PACHA will play a critical role in our collective response to this public health issue, particularly in the wake of the recently proposed Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, said Adm. Brett P. Giroir, M.D., HHS assistant secretary for health.

“More than 1 million Americans are living with HIV and nearly 40,000 are newly diagnosed with the virus each year,” Dr. Giroir said. “Working together, we have the opportunity to tackle some big issues, and I know our new members are up to the task.”

Members of the public may attend the meeting in person (based on space available) or watch via webcast. For more information, visit the PACHA webpage.

PACHA’s members represent a diverse set of stakeholders with expertise across the field of HIV. They are:

PUBLIC MEMBERS

Carl Schmid, M.B.A. (Co-Chair)

Deputy Executive Director

The AIDS Institute

John Wiesman, Dr.PH., M.P.H. (Co-Chair)

Secretary of Health

Washington State Department of Health

Gregg H. Alton, J.D.

Chief Patient Officer

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Wendy Holman

CEO and Co-Founder

Ridgeback Biotherapeutics

Marc Meachem, M.B.A.

Head, External Affairs North America

ViiV Healthcare

Rafaelé Roberto Narváez

Co-Founder and Director of Health Programs

Latinos Salud

Michael Saag, M.D.

Professor of Medicine

Associate Dean for Global Health, UAB School of Medicine

Director, University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for AIDS Research

University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine

John Sapero

Office Chief, HIV Prevention Program

Arizona Department of Health Services

Robert Schwartz, M.D., M.P.H., D.Sc.

Professor and Head, Dermatology

Rutgers New Jersey Medical School

Justin C. Smith, M.P.H.

Ph.D. Candidate

Rollins School of Public Health

Emory University

Ada Stewart, RPh, M.D., FAAFP, AAHIVS, HMDC

Lead Provider and HIV Specialist

Eau Claire (South Carolina) Cooperative Health Centers