AHF Praises President Biden’s Pick for New PEPFAR Chief

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest HIV/AIDS care provider operating in 45 countries, praised today President Biden’s decision to nominate John Nkengasong to lead the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Nkengasong currently serves as the Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC). Before joining ACDC as its inaugural director, he served as an acting deputy director at the US CDC Center for Global Health. Nkengasong is a virologist by training and holds a dual US and Cameroonian citizenship.

“We believe Dr. Nkengasong is well suited to lead PEPFAR because his tireless efforts in fighting COVID-19 as the head of ACDC are widely praised across Africa. As a virologist, he understands both the HIV and the COVID-19 pandemics, and has the requisite managerial and scientific credentials to successfully lead PEPFAR,” said AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung. “We hope the US Senate will fully support Dr. Nkengasong’s nomination and move quickly to confirm his appointment. To-date PEPFAR has saved millions of lives, most of them across Africa, and during the ongoing pandemic it is also providing indispensable COVID-19 relief. With Dr. Nkengasong at the helm, PEPFAR will continue its legacy of lifesaving humanitarian work funded by the generosity of the American people.”

Congress will soon consider whether to reauthorize PEPFAR for another five years. AHF has always been a strong supporter of PEPFAR and has repeatedly advocated for its reauthorization in previous rounds.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1.6 million clients in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare

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