Commissioner Welcomes Special Advisor for HIV, STDs, Viral Hepatitis, and TB   
 
Melanie Thompson, M.D. (center), pictured with J. Patrick O'Neal, M.D., Dir., Div. of Health Protection (left), and Commissioner Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D. (right), will be consulting with the Department of Public Health as the Special Advisor for HIV, STDs, Viral Hepatitis, and TB.
I am pleased to announce that, as of this week, Melanie Thompson, M.D., will be consulting with the Department of Public Health as my Special Advisor for HIV, STDs, Viral Hepatitis, and TB. As many of you know, Dr. Thompson has worked collaboratively with several of our divisions since 1989 through the AIDS Research Consortium of Atlanta (ARCA).   She is a leader in HIV research and clinical care who currently chairs 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. She previously chaired the National Institutes of Health's Office of AIDS Research, Therapeutics Research Working Group, on which she still serves.  In the early 1990's she was a founding member of the State of Georgia's Task Force on AIDS.  Throughout her other activities, she has always maintained an active role in providing medical care for persons with HIV, STDs, and hepatitis.
 
Georgia's HIV diagnoses among 13-24 year olds are among the nation's highest. Similarly, Georgia has a long history of leading the nation in rates of STDs, especially syphilis.  In 2010, Georgia ranked 2nd in rates of primary and secondary syphilis, 7th in gonorrhea, and 15th in Chlamydia.  We also face challenging issues in the diagnosis and control of viral hepatitis and TB. Approximately one-third of persons with HIV in the US are co-infected with HBV or HCV, and TB is especially problematic in persons with HIV.  Because these diseases often overlap within the same populations, we have unique opportunities to work together to enhance diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.  In addition, we must work to identify and combat the health disparities that exist within all of these conditions. 
 
My feeling is that we can best address the challenges we face with good external input and an overarching plan to guide us.  Therefore, 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.  Concurrently, she will be working to build a framework for the development of a Strategic Plan for the State of Georgia for HIV, STDs, Viral Hepatitis, and TB. This plan will harmonize our efforts with national priorities as expressed in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan, and the Healthy People 2020 Objectives for Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and will draw from best practices of other states where important lessons have already been learned.  
 
This is the beginning of a renewed commitment from DPH to address our most vexing infectious disease challenges with a fresh start and new perspectives. Georgia can, and must, become a national leader in our response to HIV, STDs, viral hepatitis and TB.  Please join me in welcoming Dr. Thompson to our team.  I look forward to finding new approaches to combat these critical public health issues in Georgia.  
 
-Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D. Commissioner, Georgia Department of Public Health  

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