Media contact: Savannah Koplon
Michael Saag, M.D.Michael Saag, M.D., director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for AIDS Research and professor in the School of Medicine, has been appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council of HIV/AIDS (PACHA). He was sworn in March 14.
The Council provides advice and information on HIV/AIDS to the secretary of Health and Human Services in order to promote effective treatment and prevention and ensure quality of care for those with HIV or AIDS.
“This appointment provides a wonderful opportunity to help guide recommendations on HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and services,” Saag said. “While great progress has been made, there is still much work that remains. I look forward to continuing the efforts to end the HIV epidemic in America.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV; approximately one in seven of these people is unaware they are infected. An estimated 40,000 new infections occur annually; 52 percent of all new infections are in the Southeastern United States.
Saag received his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and earned his medical degree from the University of Louisville. He has served on various local, state and national committees and boards, including the International Antiviral Society-USA and the HIV Medical Association. Along with other honors, he was the recipient of the Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award and listed as one of the Best Doctors in America since 1994.