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| Deborah L. Birx |
According to a media advisory issued by the US Embassy in Dar es Salaam today, Ambassador-at-large and coordinator of the United States government activities to combat HIV and AIDS, Deborah L. Birx, M.D. will on January 7, 2015 discuss how the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known to many as PEPFAR, is working with partners to accelerate impact and achieve an AIDS-free generation in a telephonic press conference at the U.S. embassy Dar es Salaam.
Background
The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) is a U.S. government global initiative to control the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease. Over the past decade, the U.S. government has committed more than $52 billion to bilateral HIV/AIDS programs, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and bilateral tuberculosis programs. To achieve an AIDS-free generation, PEPFAR works closely with a variety of stakeholders including partner countries, multilateral organizations, civil society, people living with and affected by HIV, the faith community, and the public and private sectors. The goal of achieving an AIDS-free generation is a shared responsibility with partner countries in the central convening role. Neither the U.S. nor any other single entity can accomplish this goal alone. It requires all partners to intensify their efforts, which includes supporting partner countries to effectively coordinate all those providing financing and technical support, as well as implementing programs within and outside of the health sector. PEPFAR is actively working with partners to accelerate impact in the efforts to control the HIV/AIDS pandemic and achieve an AIDS-free generation.
Deborah L. Birx, M.D.
Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator of the United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS April 4, 2014 to present
Deborah L. Birx, M.D. is Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator of the United States Government activities to combat HIV/AIDS. Ambassador Birx is a world renowned medical expert and leader in the field of HIV/AIDS whose three decade-long careers has focused on HIV/AIDS immunology, vaccine research, and global health. As the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Birx oversees the implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history, as well as all U.S. Government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
In 1985, Ambassador Birx began her career with the Department of Defense (DoD) as a military trained clinician in immunology, focusing on HIV/AIDS vaccine research. From 1985-1989 she served as an Assistant Chief of the Hospital Immunology Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Through her professionalism and leadership in the field, she progressed to serve as the Director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (USMHRP) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research from 1996-2005. Ambassador Birx helped lead one of the most influential HIV vaccine trials in history (known as RV 144 or the Thai trial), which provided the first supporting evidence of any vaccine’s potential effectiveness in preventing HIV infection. During this time, she also rose to the rank of Colonel, bringing together the Navy, Army, and Air Force in a new model of cooperation - increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. Military’s HIV/AIDS efforts through inter- and intra-agency collaboration. Then known as Colonel Birx, she was awarded two prestigious U.S. Meritorious Service Medals and the Legion of Merit Award for her groundbreaking research, leadership and management skills during her tenure at the DOD.
From 2005-2014, Ambassador Birx served successfully as the Director of CDC's Division of Global HIV/AIDS (DGHA) in the CDC Center for Global Health, where she utilized her leadership qualities, superior technical skills, and infectious passion to achieve tremendous public health impact. As DGHA Director, she led the implementation of CDC’s PEPFAR programs around the world and managed an annual budget of more than $1.5 billion.
Ambassador Birx was responsible for all of the agency's global HIV/AIDS activities, including providing oversight to more than 400 staff at headquarters, over 1,500 staff in the field, and more than 45 country and regional offices in Africa, Asia, Caribbean, and Latin America. Recognized for her distinguished and dedicated commitment to building local capacity and strengthening quality laboratory health services and systems in Africa, in 2011, Ambassador Birx received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the African Society for Laboratory Medicine. In 2014, CDC honored her leadership in advancing the agency’s HIV/AIDS response with the highly prestigious William C. Watson, Jr. Medal of Excellence.
Ambassador Birx has published over 220 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, authored nearly a dozen chapters in scientific publications, as well as developed and patented vaccines. She received her medical degree from the Hershey School of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, and beginning in 1980 she trained in internal medicine and basic and clinical immunology at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. Ambassador Birx is board certified in internal medicine, allergy and immunology, and diagnostic and clinical laboratory immunology.
For more information about this media opportunity, please contact Jacqueline Mosha in the Press Office at the American Embassy at 229-4581.
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