Vancouver, B.C. (January 10, 2014) – U.S. President Barack Obama has announced the nomination of Dr. Deborah Birx for Global AIDS Coordinator, a move applauded by the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE).
The Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator administers the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. government initiative to help save the lives of those suffering from HIV/AIDS around the world.
“Dr. Birx has spent her career on the frontline of the fight against HIV and AIDS, demonstrating the leadership and expertise required to advance our collective goal of achieving an HIV and AIDS-free generation,” said Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the BC-CfE. “In Dr. Birx, the President has selected a worthy successor to Drs. Mark Dybul and Eric Goosby. Her advocacy on behalf of PEPFAR’s mission to expand treatment and prevention in communities hit hardest by this epidemic ensures a continued commitment to improving the lives of people living with HIV and AIDS around the world.”
Dr. Birx has served as director of the Division of Global HIV/AIDS in the Center for Global Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since 2009. Prior to that she filled the role of director of the CDC’s Global AIDS Programs for the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, from 2005-2009.
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About the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
The BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE) is Canada’s largest HIV/AIDS research, treatment and education facility and is internationally recognized as an innovative world leader in combating HIV/AIDS and related diseases. BC-CfE is based at St. Paul’s Hospital, Providence Health Care, a teaching hospital of the University of British Columbia. The BC-CfE works in close collaboration with key provincial stakeholders, including health authorities, health care providers, academics from other institutions, and the community to decrease the health burden of HIV and AIDS. By developing, monitoring and disseminating comprehensive research and treatment programs for HIV and related illnesses, the BC-CfE helps improve the health of British Columbians living with HIV.