Sebelius Names Chair Of Presidential Advisory Council On HIV/AIDS

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Monday announced that Helene Gayle, president and chief executive of the charity CARE USA, will chair the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, Reuters reports. The news service reports that "Gayle, former head of AIDS research at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," who also "headed AIDS efforts at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation," will advise President Obama "on fighting the virus, which has infected an estimated 1 million Americans and 33 million people globally" (8/24).

During the announcement at the HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, Sebelius said, "As we organize numerous ways to engage the American people in confronting the HIV epidemic in our country, the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS will play a critical role in developing and implementing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy," adding, "Dr. Gayle brings an intense commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS and unique experience in advancing public health. I look forward to her leadership and counsel" (Bagby, "The Latest," Southern Voice, 8/24).