7/29/2009

Former Global AIDS Coordinator Oversaw Implementation of PEPFAR

Contact:    
Elizabeth Penniman, 202.448.8422, epenniman@pedaids.org
Evan Von Leer, 202.448.8433, evonleer@pedaids.org

Washington, D.C. – Ambassador Mark Dybul, the former United States Global AIDS Coordinator, will join the Board of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Board Chairman Dr. David Kessler announced today.  Dr. Dybul brings with him vast expertise on the implementation of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV programs in resource-poor settings.  Dybul is currently serving as a distinguished scholar and co-director at Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, and as a senior adviser to the president of the university.

"Under Dr. Dybul's leadership as Global AIDS Coordinator, the implementation of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has positively affected the lives of millions of women and children in sub-Saharan Africa, where the HIV/AIDS pandemic is worst,” said Kessler.  “Dr. Dybul brings a great deal of compassion and expertise to our Board of Directors.  We welcome his global experience and talent as we continue our work in 18 countries and at 3,700 sites as the largest provider of PMTCT services under PEPFAR.”
Dybul has worked for decades in the prevention of HIV, and has served in critical positions in the U.S. Government and Public Health Service to further this mission. 

Dybul is currently teaching, conducting research, and writing on a full range of global health initiatives at the O'Neill Institute, in addition to coordinating seminars, conferences, and lectures for the broader university community in the areas of global health, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. Prior to being named head of the U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), Dybul served as Assistant, Deputy, and Acting U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.  He also served as the Assistant Director for Medical Affairs of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as Executive Secretary of the Health and Human Services HIV therapy guidelines for adults and adolescents. 

He served as a Staff Clinician in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation at NIAID/NIH, where he was the principal investigator for clinical and basic research for U.S. and international protocols, with an emphasis on HIV therapies applicable in resource-poor settings, including intermittent therapy and HIV reservoirs and immunopathogenesis.  He was a two-star (upper rear) Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. 

Kessler added, "Under Dr. Dybul's leadership, we have seen how PEPFAR has transformed, extended, and saved millions of lives on a global scale, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. We welcome Dr. Dybul’s appointment to our Board, we applaud his years of dedication to public service, and we look forward to his support of the Foundation's efforts to further enhance and strengthen our mission to create a generation free of HIV."   
Dybul received both his A.B. and M.D. from Georgetown University. He completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Hospitals and a fellowship in infectious diseases at NIAID. 

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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
For the past twenty years, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation has been a worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS. Its innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international prevention and treatment programs are bringing dramatic changes to the lives of children worldwide.