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Appointment Comes as the Organization Expands Its Role in Accelerating Scientific Advances in HIV/AIDS and Chronic Infection
WASHINGTON, DC (March 10, 2011) - The Forum for Collaborative HIV Research today announced that one of the nation's
top experts in HIV/AIDS research, treatment and public policy -- John G. Bartlett, MD, Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious
Diseases at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine -- has joined the leadership team as the new co-chair of the Forum's Executive
Committee.
Building on more than a decade of identifying and addressing emerging issues in the prevention, care, and treatment
of people affected by HIV/AIDS, Dr. Bartlett's appointment brings valuable expertise and new thinking to the Forum at a time when the
organization is expanding its mission to advance the research agenda in TB/HIV co-infection and the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Immediate priorities for the Forum include setting global standards for new clinical trials in HIV and for monitoring
long-term drug toxicity, addressing HCV drug resistance and setting the standard for clinical trial designs to
establish efficacy for new anti-HCV compounds.
"The Forum is honored to have such a distinguished leader in HIV/AIDS working to help us chart the
organization's future course in improving the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care of people living with HIV/AIDS and all
chronic infections or co-infections," said Dr. Veronica Miller, executive director of the Forum. "The addition of
Dr. Bartlett to our leadership team creates a new level of excellence for the Forum and its programs."
As the new co-chair of the Forum's Executive Committee, Dr. Bartlett will drive the Forum's strategies for
accelerating scientific advances in HIV and chronic infection, working in collaboration with James Rooney of Gilead, the industry
co-chair, and the 50-plus committee members who provide scientific and policy oversight to the Forum and fund its programs.
Committee members represent all the stakeholders in the HIV/AIDS field -- government, industry, academia, private
foundations, public health, health insurance and the patient advocacy community.
"I firmly believe in the Forum's mission of bridging the gap between the two worlds co-existing in HIV, hepatitis C and
tuberculosis - the exciting world where medical science is producing major breakthroughs in treatment and the challenging
world where social issues are impeding efforts to ensure all patients are treated, have access to care and are retained
in care. This is what implementation science is all about," said Dr. Bartlett. "It is simply a privilege
to work with Forum, which is the foremost institution in applying implementation science to HIV/AIDS and chronic
infection. I look forward to helping the Forum achieve its goal of setting the research strategy and
significantly improving patient care."
Formerly Chief and now Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at The Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, Dr. Bartlett is one of the foremost experts in HIV/AIDS in the country. The author of 18 books and more than 500
articles and reviews in peer-reviewed journals, Dr. Bartlett is a member of the Institute of Medicine, past president of
the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), and the recipient of IDSA's Alexander Fleming Award for Lifetime
Achievement, the top honor in the infectious disease field. For 26 years, he served as chief of the Infectious
Diseases Division at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, stepping down in June of 2006.
As Dr. Bartlett assumes his new post, the Forum also announced that the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary (OASH) has joined the
Executive Committee and now has a seat at the table in planning Forum initiatives. Representing OASH, Dr. Ronald Valdiserri, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, will help the Forum develop initiatives that advance the recently announced
National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States - the first strategic plan for reducing HIV/AIDS in the country. Currently,
Dr. Valdiserri plays a major role in implementing the National HIV/AIDS strategy and works to ensure coordinated approaches
within and across HHS agencies to address HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases of national public health significance.
Respected for his expertise and leadership in fighting HIV/AIDS within the federal government, Dr. Valdiserri served
for a decade as Deputy Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) within the
federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where he was in charge of the science, public health surveillance
programs and prevention research addressing HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis. He has received
Presidential Rank Awards from both President Clinton (2000) and President George W Bush (2006) for his service, in
recognition of "consistently demonstrate(ing) strength, integrity and a commitment to excellence in public
health". In 2006, he joined the Department of Veterans Affairs as Chief Consultant for Public Health,
where he successfully led the effort to require routine HIV testing within the VA system, a step
that called for major policy revisions. Before joining the federal government, Dr. Valdiserri
held several academic appointments at the University of Pittsburgh Schools of Medicine and Public Health.
These new changes come at a critical time in accelerating HIV/AIDS research and public policy. Although important
progress has been made in lowering the annual number of AIDS-related deaths, more than 1 million Americans are living with
HIV/AIDS and an estimated 56,000 are infected with HIV every year. Accordingly, the Forum is planning a number of major
initiatives in 2011 to drive adoption of routine HIV testing and increase patients' access to care, two strategies
that will dramatically reduce HIV transmission and better support people living with HIV. This includes working
in collaboration with various academic centers and HHS and its agencies, the CDC and the Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA), on a project to study the potential of HIV testing and linkage to care to
control the HIV epidemic.
The Forum will also be working with government and foundation partners to implement research projects that
address emerging and complex scientific issues that have stalled research on HIV prevention and treatment. These
initiatives include evaluating the use of novel reproductive technology so couples with HIV can have biological
children, initiating research on the interrelationship of autoimmune disease and HIV immune reconstitution,
and publishing a series of reports on antivirals that act against HCV, pre-exposure prophylaxis to
prevent HIV transmission, cardiovascular implications of HIV infection and sustainable international pharmacovigilance.
"If there was ever a time when we can change the course of HIV in this country, it is now," said
Dr. Miller. "Advancing the research agenda in HIV and other chronic infections must become a new imperative to
which we devote the resources of our nation. The Forum's model of ensuring that all stakeholders actively
participate in the process will help achieve this goal. "
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About the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research
Now part of the University of California (UC), Berkeley School of Public Health and based in Washington, DC, the Forum was
founded in 1997 as the outgrowth of the Keystone Center's report "The Keystone National Policy Dialogue on Establishment
of Studies to Optimize Medical Management of HIV Infection," which called for an ongoing collaboration among
stakeholders to address emerging issues in HIV/AIDS and set the research strategy. Representing government,
industry, patient advocates, healthcare providers, foundations and academia, the Forum is a
public/private partnership that is guided by an Executive Committee that sets the
research agenda. The Forum organizes roundtables and issues reports on a range
of global HIV/AIDS issues, including treatment-related toxicities, immune-based
therapies, health services research, co-infections, prevention, and the transference
of research results into care. Forum recommendations have changed the ways that clinical
trials are conducted, accelerated the delivery of new classes of drugs, heightened awareness of
TB/HIV co-infection, and helped to spur national momentum toward universal testing for
HIV. http:// www.hivforum.org.
CONTACT:
Veronica Miller
202-352-2663
veronicam@berkeley.eduveronicam@berkeley.edu
Nancy Glick 202-261-2884 nancy.glick@mslworldwide.comnancy.glick@mslworldwide.com
Source: Forum for Collaborative HIV Research |
