After a Decades-Long Career Dedicated to amfAR and Public Health, Respected HIV Expert Dr. Mervyn F. Silverman Retires from amfAR Board of Trustees
December 16, 2025
 Mervyn F. Silverman, MD, MPH
Photo by Getty Images.
amfAR congratulates Mervyn F. Silverman, MD, MPH, on his retirement and his years of esteemed service.
A pioneer of public health and early responder to the AIDS crisis, HIV expert Dr. Mervyn F. Silverman retires from amfAR Board of Trustees.
As a physician, public health director, and an essential part of amfAR for nearly forty years, Dr. Silverman pledged his life to improving the health of millions.
Starting as a board member in 1986, his long tenure at amfAR saw him devote his expertise and energy to a wide range of roles, including terms as President (1986–1996) and Board Secretary (2011–2018). He also found time to serve as chairman and director of amfAR’s annual National HIV/AIDS Update Conference from 1999 through 2005, chairman of amfAR’s program board in 2009, and chairman of amfAR’s program advisory council beginning in 2010. Dr. Silverman rotated off the board on February 7, 2018, and was reelected on October 2, 2020.
As Director of Public Health in San Francisco, one of the country’s HIV epicenters, from 1977 to 1985, Dr. Silverman helped pioneer the U.S. response to the early HIV epidemic. In 1983, he was instrumental in the launch of a citywide program to address the needs of people living with and at risk for HIV, and the “San Francisco model,” as it came to be known, has since been replicated nationwide.
“Few individuals have left a mark on amfAR—and on the field of public health—as profoundly as Dr. Silverman,” said amfAR Board Co-Chairs T. Ryan Greenawalt and Kevin McClatchy. “His integrity, courage, and steadfast commitment to public health helped define our early response to HIV and guided our work through some of the most pivotal moments in the epidemic. We are deeply grateful for his service and honored to have worked alongside him.”
Dr. Silverman has held other leadership positions throughout his career, including medical director of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and director of the Office of Consumer Affairs for the Food and Drug Administration, as well as numerous academic and organizational appointments. From 1965 to 1967, he served as a Peace Corps doctor in Thailand and later served as the Corps’ regional director for East Asia and the Pacific.
He has been formally recognized for his work by the University of California, Berkeley; the Association of Physicians in AIDS Care; and Washington and Lee University, his undergraduate alma mater. In 2008, he received amfAR’s Award of Courage.
Dr. Silverman earned his MD from Tulane University School of Medicine, and his MPH from Harvard University School of Public Health.
“Dr. Silverman was indispensable to amfAR in the 1980s when the organization first rallied the public, scientists, and government to invest in AIDS research and promote compassionate policies, and he has been an asset to the Foundation ever since,” said Kyle Clifford, amfAR’s incoming CEO. “His contributions over the years helped generate the momentum for amfAR not only to become a leader in HIV cure research but also intensify efforts to treat and prevent other diseases and conditions. His guidance will be missed.”
Contact:
Robert Kessler (he/him)
Program Communications Manager
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
robert.kessler@amfar.org
Source: amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
https://www.amfar.org/news/dr-mervyn-f-silverman-retires-from-amfar-board-of-trustees/
"Reproduced with permission - amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research"
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research
Back to ...
Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News
For more HIV and AIDS News visit...
Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS: HIV/AIDS News Archive
|
