Georgia Department of Public Health Gets New HIV Adviser

Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald has announced that Dr. Melanie Thompson is joining the Georgia Department of Public Health as a special adviser for HIV, STDs, viral hepatitis, and TB.

"I have asked Dr. Thompson to convene an Advisory Council that will bring together individuals from affected communities, community-based organizations, academia, and other stakeholders to provide DPH with the best possible input to inform our programs and policies,” Fitzgerald said.

In addition to her work as principal investigator at the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta, Thompson serves on the International AIDS Society-USA Antiretroviral Guidelines Panel and the International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care Guidelines Panel on Entry into and Retention in Care and Antiretroviral Adherence. HIV activists have complained about internal struggles at GDPH as well as delays in distributing funding to help clients.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!