Dr. Deborah Birx Sworn In as New U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator

Ed. note: This is cross-posted from AIDS.gov

 

Dr. Deborah Birx was sworn in today as the new Ambassador at Large and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator to lead all U.S. Government international HIV/AIDS efforts. Ambassador Birx now oversees implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history, as well as all U.S. Government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

 

“I am honored and humbled to lead PEPFAR into a brand new chapter to achieve an AIDS-free generation through shared responsibility, accountability, and impact.” said Ambassador Birx.

 

Ambassador Birx is a renowned medical expert in the field of HIV/AIDS. For over three decades, her career has focused on HIV/AIDS immunology, vaccine research, and global health. Since 2005, she has served as Director of the Division of Global HIV/AIDS at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) leading PEPFAR implementation.

 

Prior to the CDC, Ambassador Birx, a proud Army veteran, having risen to the rank of Colonel in the US Army, served at the Department of Defense as Director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. In that role, she led development of the Thai vaccine trial which became the first clinical HIV/AIDS research study to show the potential that a vaccine could protect against HIV. She also served as an Assistant Chief of the Hospital Immunology Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

 

PEPFAR now directly supports 6.7 million people globally on life-saving antiretroviral treatment. In Fiscal Year 2013, PEPFAR also supported HIV testing and counseling for more than 57.7 million people, providing a critical entry point to prevention, treatment, and care. Of those receiving PEPFAR-supported HIV testing and counseling, more than 12.8 million were pregnant women. For the 780,000 of these women who tested positive for HIV, PEPFAR provided antiretroviral medications to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus. Due to PEPFAR support, 95 percent of these babies were born HIV-free (including 240,000 that would otherwise have been infected).