Heroes in the Struggle: Marc Meachem

published on November 18, 2016 by LaShieka Hunter, in The Body

The Black AIDS Institute's Heroes in the Struggle Gala and Award Celebration honors, in a star-studded event and photographic tribute, individuals who, over the past year, have made a heroic contribution to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Below, one in a series profiling the 2016 honorees.

Marc Meachem is committed to the fight against HIV/AIDS, especially in Black and Latino communities hit hard by the epidemic, particularly those throughout the South. As the number of new HIV diagnoses continues to rise in cities like Jackson, Miss., and Baltimore, Meachem, the head of external affairs for North America at ViiV Healthcare -- a GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company 100 percent focused on HIV -- is determined to reduce the disparities in HIV care and treatment. "I want to see the standard of care applied to all communities equally," he says.

Meachem, a graduate of Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, has been with the North Carolina-based company since its inception in 2009. He has three primary areas of responsibility: external and internal communications, corporate giving intended to reduce the impact of HIV, and community relations. ViiV deals specifically with HIV/AIDS medicine, but it is more than just a pharmaceutical company; it's dedicated to improving HIV education, treatment and prevention, as well as access to HIV care.

"When you look at the pharmaceutical industry, most companies work in multiple therapeutic areas, but we have a single therapeutic focus and believe that having that sole focus on HIV -- not just in terms of developing medicines, but also in terms of supporting people living with HIV -- is an important mission," Meachem says.

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