Senior U.S. AIDS Adviser Jack Chow Appointed to Head WHO AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria Department

Director-General Dr. Jong-Wook Lee yesterday appointed U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Health and Science Dr. Jack Chow as the head of the organization's new AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria department, the AP/Kansas City Star reports. In 2002, Chow was also appointed as Secretary of State Colin Powell's special representative on AIDS, the first time U.S. officials have created an ambassador-level position for a health issue, according to the AP/Star. Chow, who yesterday took the WHO oath of office with 10 other new assistant directors general appointed by Lee, said that he expects to formally join WHO in the fall. "The United States considers (AIDS, TB and malaria) as global health priorities," Chow said, adding, "Once I'm an assistant director general I will serve all nations afflicted by these diseases." Chow, who received his medical degree from the University of California-San Francisco, said that his interest in the fight against AIDS began while studying in the 1980s, when researchers first discovered HIV. Chow also holds Masters degrees in public administration from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and business administration from the University of Chicago (Fowler, AP/Kansas City Star, 7/21). Dr. Paulo Teixeira, former director of Brazil's National STD/AIDS Programme of the Ministry of Health, will also be joining WHO (Waddington, Reuters, 7/21). Lee asked Teixeira, who has been working at WHO on a transitional basis since May, to serve as AIDS program director (Ministry of Health Brazil release, 7/27). Lee in May asked Teixeira to help WHO draft an AIDS treatment adn prevention program modeled on Brazil's program. "The idea is to use Brazil's experience in the design of [its] program, particularly the integration of prevention, treatment and human rights," Teixeira said (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/21). Alexandre Grangeiro, who has served as deputy secretary for Brazil's AIDS program since 1999, will replace Teixeira as head of Brazil's program (Ministry of Health Brazil release, 7/27).

A kaisernetwork.org interview with Teixeira is available online.

The New York Times Profiles Lee
The New York Times today profiles Lee's history in medicine and public health and his goals for WHO. According to The Times, a "career at the WHO was far from Dr. Lee's goal when he joined the agency in 1983" (Altman, The New York Times, 7/22). The complete article is available online.

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