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AHF Praises President Biden’s Pick for New PEPFAR Chief

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS care provider operating in 45 countries, praised today President Biden’s decision to nominate John Nkengasong to lead the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Nkengasong currently serves as the Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC). Before joining ACDC as its inaugural director, he served as an acting deputy director at the US CDC Center for Global Health. Nkengasong is a virologist by training and holds a dual US and Cameroonian citizenship.

“We believe Dr. Nkengasong is well suited to lead PEPFAR because his tireless efforts in fighting COVID-19 as the head of ACDC are widely praised across Africa. As a virologist, he understands both the HIV and the COVID-19 pandemics, and has the requisite managerial and scientific credentials to successfully lead PEPFAR,” said AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung. “We hope the US Senate will fully support Dr. Nkengasong’s nomination and move quickly to confirm his appointment. To-date PEPFAR has saved millions of lives, most of them across Africa, and during the ongoing pandemic it is also providing indispensable COVID-19 relief. With Dr. Nkengasong at the helm, PEPFAR will continue its legacy of lifesaving humanitarian work funded by the generosity of the American people.”

Congress will soon consider whether to reauthorize PEPFAR for another five years. AHF has always been a strong supporter of PEPFAR and has repeatedly advocated for its reauthorization in previous rounds.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.6 million clients in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare

Contacts

US MEDIA CONTACT:

Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF

+1.323.308.1833 work +1.323.791.5526 mobile

gedk@aidshealth.org

Denys Nazarov, Director of Global Policy &

Communications, AHF

+1 323.308.1829

denys.nazarov@ahf.org

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Statement from the Board of Directors: The Black AIDS Institute Announces Interim CEO

Interim CEO will serve alongside new Managing Director and Expert Consultants

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The Board of Directors of the Black AIDS Institute (BAI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Toni Newman as its Interim Chief Executive Officer and Dr. Kemal M. Atkins as Managing Director to help fortify BAI’s infrastructure and round out the organization’s stellar leadership team.

In addition, BAI has engaged Ms. Pat Bass and Mr. Chris Bates – two internationally recognized experts who pioneered HIV/AIDS prevention, education, and treatment programs – to assess BAI’s current capabilities and mission.

Ms. Newman is currently the Interim Executive Director at LYRIC – a non-profit in San Francisco, California that focuses on advancing the community and creating social change for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQQ) youth through education, career training, and health advocacy. She oversees the budget, programs, and community outreach for LYRIC. Ms. Newman is a distinguished Faculty Member at the Transgender Strategy Center in Los Angeles, where she advises non-profit organizations on engagement with transgender and non-conforming communities. In addition, she is the Chair of the Board of Directors for TransCanWork based in Los Angeles. Ms. Newman has a wealth of knowledge in non-profit management, budget and finance, and human resources and operations. We’re excited that she has agreed to serve as our Interim CEO as we continue implementing our transition plan to find a permanent, innovative executive staff leader.

Dr. Atkins has been engaged to help further build infrastructure and management processes at BAI. Dr. Atkins, who will serve as a consultant on a temporary basis, has an extensive background in higher education and non-profit leadership where his expertise in crisis management, such as leading institutional responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, and expertise in building national wellness health models will provide much-needed program direction for BAI.

Ms. Bass’s work in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention truly extraordinary. As one of the architects of the Ryan White CARES Act – the largest federally funded program for people living with HIV/AIDS, she helped pave the way for modern treatments to prevent the spread and contraction of the virus. Mr. Bates also has a distinguished career in HIV prevention policy – having served as the Executive Director on the Presidential Advisory Council on AIDS and Director of the Office of AIDS Policy under President Barack Obama. Together they will oversee a comprehensive review of BAI’s program efficacy, contributions, and impact in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention and provide data that informs BAI’s mission as the organization continues to refine.

Ms. Newman, Dr. Atkins, Ms. Bass and Mr. Bates will work alongside Jami Cox and Wendell Miller as we continue to deploy our substantial resources, forward-looking vision, and human capital in the fight to end the HIV epidemic in Black communities and improve the health and quality of life for Black people living with and vulnerable to acquiring HIV/AIDS across the country.

The work of BAI is as important today as it ever has been, and we’re so proud of our incredibly talented and dedicated team that understands what is at stake for the Black community impacted by HIV and committed to ending this epidemic. Please join us in welcoming these accomplished leaders to our team. And thank you for continuing to support BAI and our entire staff across our networks.

Contact:
Tori Campbell
(332) 207-1473
319716@email4pr.com

SOURCE Black AIDS Institute