In a move
designed to formally acknowledge the contributions of various cadres of
professional and paraprofessional providers of HIV/AIDS care, an international
association that represents more than 17,000 members, primarily HIV-treating
physicians, today announced it has changed its name to the International
Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC).
"Throughout
our history, IAPAC has recognized, supported, and facilitated the delivery of
HIV prevention, care, and treatment via multidisciplinary approaches that take
into account a 'team dynamic' involving clinicians and lay-providers as well as
people living with HIV/AIDS," said IAPAC President Dr. José M. Zuniga.
"Our new name reflects a more formal recognition of that dynamic and will
allow us to support and facilitate its enhanced implementation across the HIV
prevention and clinical management continuum."
Since 1987 the
Physicians Association for AIDS Care (PAAC) and its successor, the
International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care (IAPAC), have advanced
medical- and patient-oriented education, technical assistance, and global
health initiatives worldwide. In addition, both played critical roles in
advocating the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as the expansion
of access to quality HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis
prevention, care, and treatment.
"IAPAC-past
and IAPAC-future has at its core a mission to improve the quality of services
provided to people at risk for and living with HIV/AIDS and co-morbid
conditions," explained IAPAC Founding Chair Rabbi Allen I. Freehling.
"We will continue to do so, on behalf of our members and the millions of
individuals to whom they deliver services, by battling complacency and
advancing commitment almost three decades into the global HIV pandemic."
While its
various initiatives were designed for a variety of clinical and lay providers,
moving forward the re-named IAPAC will officially represent a broader range of
healthcare providers.
Advising the
IAPAC Board of Trustees and its Senior Management Team on future directions
will be a Health Professions Advisory Council (HPCA). The HCPA will be
comprised of physician-, nurse-, pharmacist-, psychologist-, peer educator-,
and other IAPAC members, and will be co-chaired by two IAPAC Trustees: Dr.
Julie Barroso, a nurse-practitioner and Professor of Nursing at the Duke
University School of Nursing in Durham, North Carolina, USA; and Dr. Chinkholal
Thangsing, a physician who serves as CEO/President of the Touch of Hope
Foundation in New Delhi, India.
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