NASTAD Board Member Appointed to PACHA

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, NASTAD Board Member John Sapero accepted an invitation to join the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). PACHA provides recommendations to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary regarding programs, policies, and research to promote effective HIV treatment and prevention. Under the President’s new initiative to end HIV in the United States by 2030, PACHA will play an important role in guiding the Administration’s efforts to end the HIV epidemic.

John Sapero has been a member of NASTAD’s Board of Directors since 2016. In this role, he has been charged with making policy and program decisions on behalf of NASTAD’s entire membership, which consists of governmental public health officials in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, seven local jurisdictions receiving direct funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the U.S. Pacific Island jurisdictions. As a Board member, John has provided valuable ideas and feedback as NASTAD has sought to end the intersecting epidemics of HIV, viral hepatitis, and related conditions by strengthening domestic and global governmental public health through advocacy, capacity building, and social justice.

“I believe I bring a unique voice to informing our national strategy to the HIV epidemic,” said Sapero. “I was diagnosed with HIV nearly 30 years ago and entered care through a Ryan White program. Since then, I've been involved in local HIV efforts as a volunteer and advocate. In my current professional role, I'm leading Arizona's efforts to end our local epidemic. This range of experience will allow me to thoughtfully represent people living with HIV on PACHA, and also contribute on the hepatitis, STD, health equity, and social justice issues that will need to be considered to fully address ending our HIV epidemic.”

“John’s perspective on PACHA will prove invaluable as the Administration begins to expand its efforts to end the HIV epidemic by 2030,” said Terrance Moore, Acting Executive Director of NASTAD. “If we are to be successful, we will need to leverage approaches to ending the HIV epidemic that science tells us are effective while simultaneously adopting sound policies that promote health equity and support and protect LGBTQ people, people of color, immigrants, and other communities disproportionally impacted by HIV. John’s personal and professional experience sets him up perfectly to serve in this dual role on PACHA.”

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About NASTAD

Founded in 1992, NASTAD is a leading non-partisan non-profit association that represents public health officials who administer HIV and hepatitis programs in the U.S. and around the world. Our singular mission is to end the intersecting epidemics of HIV, viral hepatitis, and related conditions. We do this work by strengthening domestic and global governmental public health through advocacy, capacity building, and social justice.