Office of AIDS Policy

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg created the NYC Commission on HIV/AIDS in 2003 to advise the Mayor, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Human Resources Administration, the Health and Hospitals Corporation, and other agencies on priorities, strategies, and best practices to improve the prevention of HIV infection, the treatment of HIV disease, and the control of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The Commission is charged with examining emerging trends and needs in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, support, and funding and their impact on New York City government policy, services, and programs It develops evidence-based HIV/AIDS policy recommendations for the Mayor, to help reduce HIV infection rates, increase HIV testing utilization, and improve access to quality medical care, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, and housing for all persons with HIV/AIDS. It will also develop recommendations regarding the coordination of citywide HIV/AIDS policy and collaboration among City agency programs and services to better meet HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care needs. Finally, the HIV/AIDS Commission will make recommendations for legislation or executive action to promote HIV/AIDS education, prevention, treatment, and monitoring.

Chairmen
Dennis M. Walcott, Deputy Mayor for Policy
Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Governmental Representatives
Verna Eggleston, Administrator, NYC Human Resources Administration
Benjamin K. Chu, M.D., President, NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation
Monica Sweeney, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of HIV/AIDS, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Members
Spencer Cox is the former director of the Antiviral Project and communications director at the Treatment Action Group (TAG), the first and only AIDS organization dedicated solely to advocating for larger and more efficient public and private research efforts towards finding a cure for AIDS. Before joining TAG in 1994, Mr. Cox held posts at the Community Research Initiative on AIDS and the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR). Mr. Cox has served on a number of national committees: the HIV Disease Research Agenda Committee and Community Advocacy Committee of the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group of NIAID; the U.S. Public Health Service Committee to Establish Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in HIV-Infected Adults and Adolescents; Community Advisory Board to the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center AIDS Research Unit; Dupont-Merck Pharmaceuticals' Community Advisory Board; Clinical Trials Area Review Panel of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) AIDS Research Program Evaluation Working Group; and the AIDS Drug Assistance Program Working Group.

Humberto Cruz, M.A. has been director of the Division of HIV Health Care at the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute since 1990. The AIDS Institute promotes, protects, and advocates for the health of persons living with HIV/AIDS in New York State. As director of HIV Health Care, Mr. Cruz develops and implements statewide HIV/AIDS policy in coordination with other State and federal agencies, and directs the planning, development, and implementation of programs relating to the delivery of comprehensive HIV services. During his tenure, Mr. Cruz has increased the divisional budget by 100%, enhanced reimbursement rates for HIV services in multiple-care settings, and established a Medicaid program for the provision of intensive case management services to individuals and families affected by HIV. Mr. Cruz is a member of the HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York.

Debra Fraser-Howze is the president and chief executive officer of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (BLCA), a nonprofit organization that she founded in 1987. BLCA's mission is to inform, coordinate and organize the volunteer efforts of indigenous Black leaders, including clergy, elected officials, medical providers, business people, social policy experts, and the media to meet the challenge of fighting AIDS in their local communities. Before starting BLCA, Ms. Fraser-Howze was director of the Teen Aged Services program at the New York Urban League, where she increased the agency's annual program portfolio for youth and families-at-risk by $5M. Ms. Fraser-Howze also served as a legislative assistant to Congressman Charles B. Rangel. From 1989 to 1993, she served as Community Co-Chair of the HIV Health and Human Services Planning Council of New York and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Institute on Violence Against African-American Women. Ms. Fraser-Howze has been widely recognized for her more than two decades of local, national, and international leadership to communities of color regarding teenage pregnancy, social welfare, and HIV/AIDS.

Don C. Des Jarlais, Ph.D. is world-renowned for his research and expertise in the fields of HIV among injection drug users and syringe exchange programs. Currently, he is director of the Chemical Dependency Institute at Beth Israel Medical Center, professor of epidemiology and social medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and a visiting professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University Medical Center. He is a frequent consultant to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization. He also served for four years on the U.S. National Commission on AIDS.

Jay Dobkin, M.D. is director of the AIDS Care Program and an associate attending physician in the Department of Infectious Diseases at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Since 1992, Dr. Dobkin has served as a principal investigator in the Columbia-Presbyterian HIV Clinical Research Unit. He is the contributing editor of "The AIDS Bulletin," a monthly feature of the journal Infections in Medicine. Dr. Dobkin has cared for thousands of patients with HIV/AIDS, continues to direct a large AIDS clinic, and recently completed an interactive videodisk curriculum for nursing and medical students on AIDS care produced with Dartmouth Medical School.

David D. Ho, M.D. is the founding director and chief executive officer of the world-renowned Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. Dr. Ho has been actively engaged in AIDS research for 20 years, and has published over 250 articles on the subject. Among the many of his seminal contributions to the field, he is most recognized for his work in clarifying how HIV replicates in infected persons. Dr. Ho's work led to the use of combination antiretroviral therapy, including the use of protease inhibitors, which has resulted in dramatic reductions in AIDS-associated mortality in developed countries since 1996. Dr. Ho was named Time magazine's "Man of the Year" in 1996 and was the recipient of a Presidential Medal in 2001.

Mathilde Krim, Ph.D. is the founding chairwoman and chairwoman of the Board of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), the pre-eminent national nonprofit organization dedicated to mobilizing support for laboratory and clinical AIDS research, AIDS prevention, and the development of sound AIDS-related public policies. Funded by voluntary contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporations, AMFAR has invested nearly $207 million in furtherance of its mission and has provided grants to more than 1,960 research teams worldwide. Dr. Krim currently holds the academic appointment of adjunct professor of health policy and management at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. In August 2000, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom-the highest civilian honor in the United States-in recognition of her "extraordinary compassion and commitment."

Kim Nichols, Sc.M., M.S. is co-executive director of the African Services Committee, a community-based organization dedicated to improving the health and self-sufficiency of the African community. African Services Committee provides direct health, housing, social and legal services to over 7,000 African immigrants each year, with particular emphasis on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and support. Ms. Nichols has responsibility for program development, grant-writing and fundraising, and policy initiatives. She has been involved in both New York City and global AIDS advocacy for the past 17 years and has served on many panels and committees to further understanding of the HIV-related needs of African communities. Currently a member of the Board of the Global AIDS Alliance, Ms. Nichols also serves on the Steering Committee of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program of the New York State Department of Health.

Ana Oliveira, M.A. is the first Latina and the first lesbian to head Gay Men's Health Crisis, the nation's largest AIDS service organization. Named executive director in November 1999, she is responsible for programs and services that reach 8,000 men, women, and children annually, as well as the agency's national and international education and advocacy efforts. Prior to her position at GMHC, she directed programs at Samaritan Village, The Osborne Association, and El Rio, where she worked to develop harm-reduction based treatment models and alternatives to incarceration with special focuses on services for women and substance users. She is a former member of the HIV Health and Human Service Planning Council of New York.

Jairo Enrique Pedraza is director of the International Division of Cicatelli Associates, a non-profit education organization specializing in health and human services. In this position, Mr. Pedraza provides technical assistance to people living with HIV/AIDS to form networks and support groups in the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico. Mr. Pedraza also consults for UNAIDS/WHO treatment access initiatives in the developing world. Previously, he worked in the minority outreach program of GMHC's Legal Services Department and at the Mental Hygiene Research Institute on its Puerto Rican Men's Study and HIV Serodiscordant Male Couples Project.

Elaine E. Reid, C.S.W. is co-chairperson elect of the NYC Prevention Planning Group, a community advisory group mandated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the federal-City cooperative agreement on HIV prevention programs. Ms. Reid is also director of the AIDS Education and Case Management Program at Caribbean Women's Health Association, a community-based organization that advocates for and responds to the health-care needs of Caribbean communities. As program director, Ms. Reid is responsible for planning and implementing community education and provider training strategies. She serves on a number of task forces to advocate for sound HIV/AIDS policies. As a volunteer with the Organization for International Development, she has traveled to various Caribbean nations as part of a team of health professionals providing underserved communities with health care and health education, emphasizing HIV/AIDS issues.

J. Edward Shaw is co-chairperson of the People Living With AIDS Advisory Committee of the NYC Prevention Planning Group and community vice-chair of the New York State Prevention Planning Group. In addition, Mr. Shaw is a member of the AIDS Clinical Trials Advisory Group at Harlem Hospital Center and a volunteer lobbyist with the New York Citizens' AIDS Network of GMHC. From 1996 to 1998, he was a member of the Steering Committee and the People Living with AIDS Advisory Group of the East Harlem HIV Care Network. Mr. Shaw previously served as a community coordinator for the National AIDS Treatment Advocacy Project, where he was responsible for increasing awareness of and participation in health fairs and medical treatment forums for people living with HIV /AIDS.

Reverend Terry Troia is pastor of the New Utrecht Reformed Church in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and Executive Director of Project Hospitality, a comprehensive care program for homeless and hungry people and Staten Island's largest service agency for people with HIV/AIDS. Born and raised in New York City, the Reverend Troia studied at Loyola University and received a master's degree in systematic theology from St. Mary's Seminary and University in Baltimore. The Reverend Troia is an adjunct faculty member of New York City College of Technology and co-chair of the social services workgroup of the HIV Health and Human. She serves on the boards of the Staten Island Branch of the New York Urban League, United Activities Unlimited, and the New York State Supportive Housing Network.

Rona Vail, M.D. is clinical director of the HIV/AIDS Care program at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, a unique primary care center dedicated to the health-care needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and all people living with HIV/AIDS, regardless of any patient's ability to pay. At Callen-Lorde, Dr. Vail oversees all aspects of the HIV care program, including provision of primary care to more than 250 patients with HIV disease, and review of HIV-related policies and procedures at the Center. Dr. Vail has been a provider of HIV clinical services since 1991. A former member of the Board of Directors of God's Love We Deliver, Dr. Vail is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine and sits on the following committees of the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute: the Medical Care Criteria Committee, the HIV Quality of Care Advisory Group, and the Council of HIV Ambulatory Care Directors.

Staff

Nina Rothschild, DrPH, MPH New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene 40 Worth Street, Room 1502, Box A/1 New York, NY 10013 nrothsch@health.nyc.gov (212) 788-4284 (t) (212) 788-2273 (f)

Documents
Below you will find electronic copies* of the following materials:

The State of HIV and AIDS in New York City - Outline (47.9Kb), Slides (2.65Mb)
Summary Report--NYC Commission on HIV/AIDS (84.6Kb)

*You will need Adobe® Reader® to view these files.
Click HERE for a FREE download.