ROBIN GORNA TO HEAD INTERNATIONAL AIDS SOCIETY
22 May 2009 (Geneva, Switzerland) - The International AIDS Society (IAS) today announced the appointment of Robin Gorna as Executive Director. Ms Gorna will succeed current Executive Director, Craig McClure, on 1 September this year.
In her role as executive director, Ms Gorna will head the IAS secretariat based in Geneva , Switzerland . Responsible for the day-to-day management of the activities of the organization, she is charged with implementing the organization's strategic and operational plans under the direction of the IAS' governance and membership.
"We are delighted to find a candidate of Robin's caliber and expertise for this position," said IAS president Julio Montaner. "Robin has worked in all corners of the globe across many diverse issues within HIV and healthcare generally. She is a strong and respected leader, and I have no doubt she will make a significant contribution to the IAS and to AIDS."
Ms. Gorna is currently based in South Africa where she is the Senior Regional Health and AIDS Adviser for the UK Government's Department for International Development (DFID). Before accepting this position, Ms. Gorna headed up a new Global Policy Team on AIDS at DFID where she led many policy processes, including delivering the first UK government strategy on AIDS in developing countries and securing international agreement to "Universal Access", first at the G8 in Gleneagles and then through the United Nations.
Her involvement with the IAS began in 1998, when she was the community co-chair of the 12 th World AIDS Conference, a biennial event organized principally by the IAS.
With over 20 years' experience in the response to HIV, Ms Gorna's previous roles include executive director of the Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations; co-chair of the 6 th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific; and director of health promotion for the Terrence Higgins Trust; among others. Ms Gorna is the author of many internationally-published works, including a book entitled Vamps, Virgins and Victims: How can women fight AIDS? (Cassells, 1996).
The IAS is the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals, with over 13,000 members in 188 countries working at all levels of the global response to HIV/AIDS. IAS members represent scientists, clinicians, public health, policy experts and community practitioners on the frontlines of the epidemic. The IAS is the lead organizer of the International AIDS Conference and the IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.
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For further information, contact:
Karen Bennett
Senior Communications Manager,
International AIDS Society
Tel: +41 22 710 0843
Email: Karen.Bennett@iasociety.org
"Reproduced with permission - International AIDS Society"
International AIDS Society
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