David Holtgrave Appointed to Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

David Holtgrave, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Health, Behavior and Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius made the announcement on February 1.

The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS provides advice, information and recommendations to the President through the Secretary of Health and Human Services on domestic and global HIV/AIDS policy issues. The Council also will also serve to further the policy goals of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and will provide input for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Holtgrave was one of 24 members named to the panel, which is drawn from a diverse group of researchers, service providers and community leaders from around the country, including people living with HIV. The Council also includes members from community-based organizations that cater to the medical, legal or mental health needs of people living with HIV and AIDS.

Holtgrave's research has focused on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions and has studied HIV/AIDS issues that impact treatment and housing. He was previously with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention—Intervention Research and Support. He also served on an Institute of Medicine panel that examined a variety of strategies for the public sector funding of HIV care and treatment services in the United States.

The U.S. government estimates that one million individuals are living with HIV in the United States, and a new HIV infection occurs every nine-and-a-half minutes in America. Globally, there are over 33 million people living with HIV, and AIDS remains a leading cause of death worldwide.