The AIDSVu and HepVu Advisory Committee is pleased to welcome new members to join its distinguished group of national HIV and viral hepatitis experts guiding the Vu platforms’ strategic direction. The Advisory Committee provides oversight and guidance to support Vu’s mission to visualize data, present insights, and catalyze research to drive public health action across the U.S.
New members were officially welcomed during the annual Advisory Committee meeting held in Washington, DC, on October 22, 2019. They include:
Raniyah Copeland, MPH, President and CEO, Black AIDS Institute
Raniyah is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Black AIDS Institute (BAI). She previously served as Director of Programs for BAI as the organization’s chief HIV prevention and treatment expert managing all HIV treatment, prevention, community mobilization training, and engagement programs, including the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN), the African American HIV University (AAHU), and the Greater Than AIDS campaign.
Natalie Cramer, Senior Director, Prevention/Care Program and Policy, NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) (interim member)
Natalie is a Senior Director on the Prevention, Health Care Access, and Policy teams. Natalie leads NASTAD’s HIV prevention programming and capacity building assistance (CBA) portfolios, bridging HIV prevention program and policy initiatives to support health departments implementing “high impact prevention” to improve outcomes across the HIV prevention and care continuum. She has over 20 years of experience working in public health at the state and national levels with a focus on HIV prevention and drug user health.
Judith Feinberg, MD, Professor, Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry, WVU School of Medicine
Dr. Feinberg is a Professor of Medicine/Infectious Diseases and a Professor of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at West Virginia University. She also serves as the E.B. Flink Vice Chair of Medicine for Research. Dr. Feinberg has also long been involved in various public health aspects of HIV/AIDS, including resource allocation, policy development, the FDA approval process, and the development of harm reduction programs to prevent the spread of HIV and hepatitis due to the current opioid epidemic.
Jesse Milan, Jr., JD, President and CEO, AIDS United
Jesse is a tireless community advocate and nationally recognized expert on HIV/AIDS policies and programs. He has served as president of AIDS United since 2016 and brings 30 years of experience in executive roles in the public and private sectors and has directed multimillion-dollar budgets and staff for federal, state, local, and global public health agencies. Notably, beginning in 2002, he served a five-year appointment as co-chair of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment (CHAC).
Michael Ninburg, Executive Director, Hepatitis Education Project
Michael Ninburg is the Executive Director of the Hepatitis Education Project (HEP), a U.S.-based non-governmental organization dedicated to supporting hepatitis patients. HEP works with patients, clinicians, and policymakers and provides direct services and advocacy for some of the community’s most underserved and marginalized populations, including prisoners and people who use drugs. Michael works with global partners on issues related to hepatitis testing, treatment access, and the development of more efficient hepatitis drugs and diagnostics.
Rekha Ramesh, Executive Director, Head of Public Policy, Gilead Sciences
Rekha joined Gilead in 2005 and leads the global public policy group, which is responsible for analyzing policy impact, developing policy positions, translating and amplifying scientific evidence for policymakers, and engaging external stakeholders to create an environment that supports access for innovative medicines. Prior to joining Gilead, she worked for Health Management Associates (HMA), a public policy consulting company, and as an Analyst at the U.S. Congressional Budget Office. She also held brief positions in the Health Care Financing branch of the Executive Office of the President’s Office of Management and Budget and the Joint Committee on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations.
Stephen Lee, MD, Executive Director, NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors)
Dr. Stephen Lee is the Executive Director of NASTAD. Stephen oversees all NASTAD programs – Health Care Access, Prevention, Hepatitis, Drug User Health, Health Equity, Policy & Legislative Affairs, and Health Systems Integration – as well as NASTAD’s overall operations. Additionally, In addition to years of experience as a physician, Dr. Lee has held numerous positions at the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where for 13 years he managed the development and implementation of programs that provided prevention, care, and treatment services to individuals affected by HIV.
These new members will add their unique expertise and perspectives to the Advisory Committee, which features representatives from organizations such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the CDC, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), national patient and community advocates, representatives from state and local health departments, and private industry.
Vu would also like to thank its retiring Advisory Committee members for their over 20 years of combined service to the platforms
- Jonathan Mermin, MD, MPH, RADM, Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Murray Penner, previous Executive Director, National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD)
- Phill Wilson, Founder and former Executive Director, Black AIDS Institute
Vu is honored to continue building invaluable partnerships with key stakeholders and thought leaders and ensure that AIDSVu and HepVu continue to serve as valuable resources to users across the spheres of HIV, viral hepatitis, the opioid epidemic, and public health.
With the Advisory Committee’s expert insight and guidance, Vu looks forward to expanding its existing data, tools, and services to further empower community and advocacy leaders to end the HIV epidemic and contribute to viral hepatitis elimination efforts in their jurisdictions.
AIDSVu Advisory Committee
- Gregg Alton, Former Chief Patient Officer, Gilead Sciences, Inc.
- James Curran, MD, Dean, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
- Nanette Benbow, Senior Policy Advisor and Research Assistant Professor, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
- Guillermo Chacón, President, Latino Commission on AIDS
- Raniyah Copeland, MPH, President and CEO, Black AIDS Institute
- Natalie Cramer, Senior Director, Prevention/Care Program and Policy, NASTAD (National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors) (interim member)
- Carlos del Rio, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Emory University School of Medicine; Professor of Global Health, Hubert Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health; and co-Director, Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR)
- Carl Dieffenbach, PhD, Director, Division of AIDS (DAIDS), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health
- Judith Feinberg, MD, Professor, Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry, WVU School of Medicine
- Evelyn Foust, MPH, CPM, Branch Head, Communicable Diseases, North Carolina Division of Public Health
- Kevin Frost, CEO, amfAR
- Marjorie A. Innocent, PhD, Senior Director of Health Programs, NAACP
- Jennifer Kates, PhD, Senior Vice President and Director, Global Health & HIV Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation
- Stephen Lee, MD, Executive Director, NASTAD
- Marsha Martin, DSW, Prior Director, Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services
- Henry Masur, MD, Chief, Critical Care Medicine Department, NIH Clinical Center
- Eugene McCray, MD, Director, Division of HIV/AIDS prevention (DHAP), National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Jesse Milan, Jr., JD, President and CEO, AIDS United
- Gregorio Millett, MPH, Vice President and Director, Public Policy, amFAR
- Michael Mugavero, MD, MHSc, Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
- Michael Ninburg, Executive Director, Hepatitis Education Project
- Rekha Ramesh, Executive Director, Public Policy, Gilead Sciences
- Ron Valdiserri, MD, MPH, Professor, Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
