Pennsylvania: Priest-Researcher to Lead AIDS Task Force

Charles Christen of Hazelwood has been named the new executive director of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, effective July 18. He succeeds Kathi Boyle, who retires from PATF after seven years. Christen was previously the director of operations for the Center for Healthy Environments & Communities at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. "With a background in research, I'm interested in looking at how PATF can partner with the academic community to foster new research programs that are effective and evidence-based," said Christen, who holds a doctorate in public health. A former chaplain at Allegheny General Hospital, Christen voluntarily left the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1999. "We still see that gay men are the most affected population regarding HIV. Anything that we can do to eradicate the shame associated with same-sex orientation is going to go a long way toward helping us reduce the transmission of HIV," the Pittsburgh native said. For information on PATF, visit www.patf.org.

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