The New York State AIDS Advisory Council
Honoring 25 Years of Service
1983 – 2008
September 11, 2008
New York, New York
The New York State AIDS Advisory Council
25 Years of Leadership
In late 1980 and early 1981, when the first reports of what is now known to be HIV infection
appeared, scientists and health professionals began to understand that this new clinical puzzle
would become a major public health crisis. Today, despite the growing integration of HIV
prevention and care into routine health services, HIV still has complex medical, social, and
emotional dimensions that defy easy solutions.
New York State (NYS), the epicenter of the epidemic in the U.S., has demonstrated strength,
dedication and compassion in designing a comprehensive range of HIV policies and programs.
The NYS AIDS Advisory Council, created in 1983 by Public Health Law Article 27-E
(Appendix A) along with the NYS Department of Health AIDS Institute, was an early and
vigorous response to the emerging epidemic. The Council’s mandate is to advise the
Commissioner of Health and the AIDS Institute, and since its inception the Council has worked
closely with the Institute to fulfill its responsibilities. It has offered policy guidance and advice,
authored numerous reports and helped to develop annual programmatic and fiscal priorities.
Current Composition. Listed below are the names and dates of service of Council members as
of July 30, 2008. Appendix B contains biographical information for each member.
Sandra Ruiz Butter, M.S. (Chair) 2005-Present
Jose M. Davila 2008-Present
Andrew Doniger, M.D. 2008-Present
Hon. Thomas K. Duane 1997-Present
Conrad T. Fischer, M.D. 2002-Present
Tracie M. Gardner 2001-Present
Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D. 2007-Present
Lambert N. King, M.D. Ph.D. 1995-Present
Keith Krasinski, M.D. 1995-Present
Megan E. McLaughlin, Ph.D. 1995-Present
Edwin A. Mirand, Ph.D. 1983-Present
Joe B. Pressley 2001-Present
Jeffrey Reynolds, Ph.D. 1994-Present
Teresita Rodriguez 2008-Present
Allan Rosenfield, M.D. 1995-Present
Throughout its 25-year history, the AIDS Advisory Council has contended with a wide range of
program and policy challenges. It has investigated and debated; issued statements, reports
(Appendix C), and recommendations; and with prescience and great courage, prodded others into
action.
Less well known is the broad, and in many cases, national impact of the Council’s work and the
fact that this advisory body has functioned with uncommon energy and commitment to improve
the lives of people with HIV and to prevent new infections. Many members have served for
extended periods, in some cases for the entire existence of the Council. Although the epidemic
has continually evolved and the Council itself has evolved to include members with a wide
variety of views and expertise, a number of consistent themes have served as the foundation for
the Council’s activities.
Foundation for Achievement
Openness. A fundamental tenet of AIDS Advisory Council procedure is openness. All Council
meetings are open to the public and provide a period for questions and commentary by non-
members. Over the years, meetings have been well-attended by members of the public, and by
health and human service providers, advocates, governmental officials and others, who have
found them to be useful and often very spirited forums for discussion.
Informed Discussion and Expert Opinion. Another priority is informed discussion. The
Council actively solicits a broad array of opinion through public hearings, position papers, and
guest speaker presentations. Speakers may include researchers, community and task force
leaders, program and agency directors, government officials, people with HIV, and others. To
address specific issues, the Council often creates subcommittees consisting of Council members,
experts in the field, providers and community members. The subcommittees hold independent
meetings and hearings, conduct site visits and fact finding, write reports and develop
recommendations for consideration by the full Council.
Education and Activism. The Council has always strived to educate, to instill a sense of
urgency about HIV, and to amplify engagement in HIV issues at every level. Within NYS, the
Council has fostered interaction among state agencies, issued letters of support or dissent,
submitted testimony, conducted education and outreach, and proffered recommendations and
commentary concerning HIV policy and programs to members of Congress, to federal and state
agencies, and to organizations across the country.
Broad Perspective. The Council has maintained an acute awareness of the larger context in
which HIV prevention and care exist and how HIV is perceived within that context. The Council
has focused not only on how to improve HIV programs and services, but on how non-HIV
federal and state laws, regulations, policies, and budgets may affect HIV policy, planning, and
care in NYS, especially the most efficient and effective use of resources. Context also involves
the large constellation of issues which complicate HIV, including social and cultural traditions
and beliefs, stigma and discrimination, and policies concerning health insurance, homelessness,
mental illness and substance abuse.
Respect and Equity. Finally, the Council has insisted on respect and access to quality care for
every person with HIV and prevention education for every person with or at risk for HIV. This
has meant a commitment to voluntary testing, confidentiality, public and provider information,
integration of services, the adaptation of services in accordance with age, gender, behavior, and
other population needs, the rapid translation of scientific findings into program and policy, and
the highest standards of ethical conduct.
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Leadership in the age of AIDS
Council Leadership and Participation. The Council has been fortunate to have had the
leadership of an extraordinarily distinguished roster of health professionals, including Dr. David
Rogers, a former Dean of the School of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University and President of
the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Dr. Allan Rosenfield, now Dean Emeritus and DeLamar
Professor Emeritus of Public Health Practice at Columbia University’s Mailman School of
Public Health, and, since 2005, Ms. Sandra Ruiz Butter, M.S., President of VIP Community
Services.
The Council has also benefitted from the contributions of a broad array of hard-working
members, including legislators, community activists, physicians, lawyers, judges, people with
HIV, foundation presidents, clergy members, and directors of community organizations, clinical
programs, and public health agencies (Appendix D). Their diverse perspectives have been
essential to the development of workable policy guidelines and recommendations.
The history of the AIDS Advisory Council, appropriately, reflects the history of the HIV
epidemic. From the advent of HIV in the U.S., when the public environment was dominated by
the unfounded fear of contagion via casual contact, through the development of medications
allowing HIV to become, for many, a treatable chronic disease, through many types of strategies
for prevention and many policies tried and discarded or nationally adopted, the Council has been
at the center of discussions.
AIDS Advisory Council Achievements. The Council has been instrumental in a long list of
achievements within NYS that have shaped HIV programs and policy and served as national
models. Among them are the following:
• Early in the epidemic, the Council expressed its concern about discrimination against
people with HIV and confidentiality of medical information. These efforts helped to
inform state and federal policy proposals. In 1989, NYS put into effect a pioneering
public health law, Article 27-F, which protects residents from inappropriate disclosure of
their HIV status and requires counseling and informed consent for voluntary HIV testing.
This became a national standard.
• HIV services in prisons were addressed by the Council at a time when other states were
not focused on this problem. The Council convened an Ad hoc Committee on AIDS &
Correctional Facilities, which in 1989 produced a report, “Management of HIV Infection
in New York State Prisons.” Ten years later, in 1999, the Council’s Subcommittee on
Criminal Justice issued a follow-up report, “ HIV/AIDS Services in New York State
Correctional Facilities,” prompting greater cooperation between state agencies and
contributing to the national dialogue on inmate health services.
• HIV-infected health care workers and crime victims potentially exposed to HIV were
addressed by the Council’s Subcommittee on Occupational Issues. In 1990, the
subcommittee issued “Exposure to HIV Through Rape and Occupational Injury,” and a
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Subcommittee on the HIV-Infected Health Care Worker issued another report in 1991.
• The issue of adolescents exposed to HIV and the controversy over HIV education in
schools prompted creation of the Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Adolescents and HIV,
which published “Illusions of Immortality: The Confrontation of Adolescence and AIDS”
in 1991. The Council made repeated recommendations for and testified before the NYS
Assembly on behalf of an age appropriate, comprehensive HIV and sex education school
curriculum that contributed to its development within the New York City and NYS
education departments.
• In 1993, the Council created a Subcommittee on Sex Clubs, which issued a report with
recommendations for HIV education and prevention that led to agreement by health
officials and club owners for on site HIV outreach and condom availability.
• In 1994, the Council issued its report on the “Discharge of Homeless Persons with TB,”
underscoring the close association between HIV and tuberculosis and homelessness as a
factor in HIV prevention and treatment.
• Following extensive public hearings and deliberations, the Council issued the “Report of
the Subcommittee on Newborn HIV Screening” in 1994. In 1997, NYS mandated HIV
testing of all newborns. Improved identification of HIV-exposed infants, together with
the availability and provision of early treatment helped to dramatically reduce maternal
transmission and bring HIV-infected mothers into care.
• The Council’s 1996 report “Needle Exchange Programs and Deregulation of Needles and
Syringes,” together with letters to federal officials and other efforts in support of harm
reduction strategies, helped to soften national opposition and pave the way for NY’s
Expanded Syringe Access Program (ESAP) in 2000, which enhances the availability of
clean syringes and promotes safe disposal. The Council followed up with another report,
“Syringe Access in New York State,” in 2005. Access to clean needles and other
prevention strategies for substance abusers substantially reduced HIV infection rates in
this group.
• In accordance with its consistent safeguarding of the privacy and rights of people with
HIV, the Council issued its “Proposed Principles Governing Mandated Testing of
Persons Accused of Certain Crimes” in 1996, clarifying terms for exceptions to the
principle of voluntary testing.
• To ensure interagency attention to HIV and consistency of policies, the Council
successfully advocated for the NYS Interagency Task Force on AIDS, which was
established in 1997 and continues to help coordinate state programs.
• In the context of the growing national trend toward HIV (rather than just AIDS) case
reporting, the Council considered the “Findings of the HIV Surveillance Workgroup” in
1998, which recommended continued vigilance about confidentiality, voluntary partner
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notification, and legal protections for the uses of surveillance information regardless of
whether the monitoring system was to be based on patient names or unique identifiers.
• In 1998, the Council issued the “Report of the Ethical Issues in Access to HIV Treatment
Workgroup,” which argued for equitable access to HIV medications on the basis of need
rather than preconceptions about the likelihood of drug regimen adherence and
emphasized that trusting relationships with providers were requisites for successful
treatment.
• In recognition of the disproportionate toll of HIV among African Americans, Hispanics
and women, the Council issued two reports, “Communities At Risk: HIV/AIDS in
Communities of Color” in 2001 and “Women in Peril, HIV & AIDS: The Rising Toll on
Women of Color” in 2005. They highlighted gender, culture, and other considerations in
providing HIV services to people of color.
Through the years, the Council has addressed many other HIV issues and topics that did not
result in formal reports but nevertheless generated actions designed to educate or influence HIV
program and policy, including communications between the Council Chair and the Governor and
an annual Legislative Education Day in Albany.
The Council has provided critical support for the efforts of organizations advocating on HIV
issues. For example, the Council strongly supported the 1996 report “Families in Crisis: A
Report of the Working Committee on HIV, Children, and Families,” produced by the Federation
of Protestant Welfare Agencies to highlight the plight of AIDS orphans and the social and legal
problems of parents with HIV trying to plan for the long term care of their children.
Other topics addressed by the Council have included: funding issues (e.g., reauthorization of the
federal Ryan White CARE Act; allocation of federal and state funding; Medicaid and other
reimbursement systems, including managed care; and welfare reform); the continuum of HIV
care and co-location of services (e.g., primary care, substance use, mental health); demographic
shifts, HIV incidence rates and the needs of various population groups; U.S. immigration policy
concerning people with HIV; housing and employment discrimination; the federal AIDS case
definition; prevention strategies, including condom distribution and cultural barriers to behavior
change; and co-infection with hepatitis C and HIV.
Looking to the Future
Current and future concerns will continue to anticipate and mirror those of the epidemic. The
Council, the AIDS Institute, and the Department will continue to rise to each and every
challenge, providing leadership and hope for new ways to unravel the continuing complexities of
HIV.
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Appendix A
New York State Public Health Law
Article 27-E, Section 2778
§ 2778. Advisory council.
1. There shall be established within the institute an advisory council composed of
seventeen members who shall be appointed in the following manner: three shall be
appointed by the temporary president of the senate and one by the minority leader of the
senate; three shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly and one by the minority
leader of the assembly; nine shall be appointed by the governor. The governor shall
designate the chairman of the advisory council. The members of the council shall be
representative of the public, educational and medical institutions, local health departments
and nonprofit organizations, including organizations providing services to high risk
populations.
2. The advisory council shall be responsible for advising the commissioner with respect to
the implementation of this article and shall make recommendations to the institute for the
purpose of carrying out the provisions of paragraphs (c), (d) and (e) of subdivision one of
section twenty-seven hundred seventy-six hereof.
3. The council shall meet at least four times a year. Special meetings may be called by the
chairman, and shall be called by him at the request of the commissioner.
4. The members of the council shall receive no compensation for their services, but shall
be allowed their actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties
hereunder.
Appendix B
New York State AIDS Advisory Council
Biographies of Current Members as of
July 30, 2008
Sandra Ruiz Butter
President
VIP Community Services
Mrs. Butter has led VIP Community Services over the past 16 years, during which time the
agency expanded to become a comprehensive, community-based organization. VIP serves more
than 7,500 adults annually in programs of addiction treatment, HIV prevention, healthcare, and
transitional housing. Through its affiliate, Managed Work Services New York, employment with
support services is provided to those who are moving into the world of work. Prior to joining
VIP, Mrs. Butter was responsible for the identification, planning, financing and development of
affordable housing projects for major not-for-profit and for-profit development organizations.
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York, Sandra Ruiz Butter holds her baccalaureate degree
from the City College of New York and a Master of Science from Columbia University, School
of Social Service. In late 2006 Ms. Butter served on the Housing Transition Committee for
Governor Elliot Spitzer. Mrs. Butter is on the Boards of other nonprofit organizations, including
the Latino Commission on AIDS, the Legal Action Center and the Center for Charter School
Excellence and she is on the National Advisory Board of the Enterprise Community Partners, an
affordable housing intermediary organization.
José M. Dávila
Executive Director
Bronx AIDS Services
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, José M. Dávila migrated to New York City (NYC) in 1978,
where he began and completed studies for a Masters of Public Health/Health Care Management
at Columbia University’s School of Public Health in 1981. He had previously received
Bachelor’s and Masters’ of Sciences degrees from the University of Puerto Rico.
Mr. Dávila was appointed as Bronx AIDS Services (BAS) Executive Director in 2005. Prior to
that he acted as BAS’s Chief Operating Officer for six years, during which time he administered
the physical expansion and modernization of its operations. Prior to becoming BAS’ Chief
Operating Officer in 1999, he was the Director of Support Services for Promesa, one of the
largest and oldest minority-run community based organizations in the Bronx, which includes a
108-bed long term care facility for persons living with AIDS. In addition to his duties at BAS,
he has served on the Board of Directors of CAEAR Coalition, is Treasurer of the NYC AIDS
Services Network and is a member of the Steering Committee of the National Latino AIDS
Action Network.
Mr. Dávila has over 25 years experience in management, particularly in the areas of health
services research, health care and facilities, many of which have been tied to the provision of
services to persons living with HIV/AIDS. For 13 years, he served as a senior administrator at
Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx in various capacities. During his tenure
as Associate Director for Medical Services, he was responsible for the renovation, outfitting and
operation of the hospital’s 28-bed AIDS designated unit. For three years after leaving HHC, Mr.
Dávila ran his own consulting business, DAMOL Associates, where he provided assistance to
Latin American healthcare providers in the acquisition of US made medical equipment and
provided business advice to small medical surgical supply companies in NYC and Puerto Rico.
Andrew S. Doniger, M.D., M.P.H.
Commissioner of Health
Monroe County Health Department
Dr. Andrew S. Doniger is the Director of the Monroe County Department of Public Health. He
oversees the management of all Health Department programs, and works closely with
community partners in developing strategies, policies and programs to improve the health of the
community. He is also a Pediatrician and was formerly the Chief of Pediatrics at the Anthony L.
Jordan Health Center, Rochester’s largest neighborhood health center.
Dr. Doniger has academic appointments at the University of Rochester School of Medicine &
Dentistry as Clinical Professor in both the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of
Community and Preventive Medicine. Dr. Doniger attended Amherst College and SUNY
Buffalo School of Medicine, and he holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the
University of California at Berkeley.
Hon. Thomas K. Duane
Member of the Senate
State of New York
State Senator Thomas K. Duane (D, WFP-Manhattan) represents New York's 29
th
State Senate
District and serves as Assistant Minority Leader for Policy and Administration. First elected to
the State Senate in 1998, he became the Senate's first openly-gay and first openly HIV-positive
member. Prior to his election to the State Senate, Duane served for seven years in the New York
City Council.
Senator Duane has made his mark in Albany and in the neighborhoods of the 29th Senate
District. Located in the heart of Manhattan, the 29th State Senate District includes the Upper
West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, Greenwich Village, and part of the East Side, including the
East Village, Stuyvesant Town, Peter Cooper Village and Waterside Plaza.
Now in his tenth year in the State Senate, Senator Duane has been an effective fighter on a wide
range of important issues including: passage of Timothy's Law, which eliminates mental-health
treatment discrimination by insurance companies in New York State; Manny’s Law, which
requires hospitals to notify indigent patients of the state medical funds available to them;
legislation that ensures no one is able to escape child and spousal support payments simply by
changing his or her name; legislation that completely eliminates the criminal statute of
limitations for first degree rape, criminal sexual acts, aggravated sexual abuse, and sexual
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conduct against a child; and reproductive clinic access legislation, as well as gun control, anti-
poverty, healthcare protection and civil rights legislation.
Conrad T. Fischer, M.D.
Associate Chief of Medicine for Education
SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Conrad Fischer is currently the Associate Chief of Medicine for Educational and Academic Activities at
SUNY Downstate School of Medicine in Brooklyn. He is an Attending Physician at the University
Hospital of Brooklyn as well as at King’s County Hospital Center. Dr. Fischer was previously the
Residency Program Director at Flushing Hospital and before that was the Residency Director at
Maimonides Medical Center. Dr. Fischer completed a Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center of Cornell University.
Dr Fischer is the author of ten books on education and study materials for students, residents and
attendings for board recertification. His fifth published book was released in March, 2008 and two more
educational books will be released within the next six months. Dr. Fischer’s video tapes play in 160 sites
in 20 countries including the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Korea and Italy.
Dr Fischer will release his first book for the general public on “Breakthroughs and Despair: Amazing
Medical Advances, and the rise of physician dissatisfaction”. It examines the evidence for markedly
improved medical care over the last 25 years and evaluates why, despite the explosion of treatment
options, physicians and students are not having a corresponding increase in enthusiasm and job
satisfaction.
Tracie M. Gardner
Director of New York State Policy &
Coordinator of WISH-NY (Women’s Initiative to Stop HIV)
Legal Action Center (LAC)
Tracie M. Gardner currently serves as the Director of New York State Policy at the Legal Action
Center (LAC) where she coordinates the Center's lobbying, advocacy, grass roots organizing and
policy work on issues relating to HIV/AIDS, criminal justice and substance abuse in New York
State. She is also the coordinator of an advocacy project at the Center, the Women's Initiative to
Stop HIV/AIDS, NY (WISH-NY). Prior to joining the Legal Action Center, Ms. Gardner
worked in various capacities of AIDS policy and advocacy since 1987, at organizations such as
the Harlem Director's Group, the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies and the Gay Men's
Health Crisis, the Minority Task Force on AIDS (aka FACES) and the National Minority AIDS
Council.
Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC)
Dr. Marjorie J. Hill is the Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), the
nation’s oldest AIDS service organization. GMHC provides a continuum of services to 15,000
men, women and children annually and a world renowned legacy of health care advocacy,
promoting social justice and supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights. Dr. Hill
previously served as GMHC’s Managing Director for Community Health where she had
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responsibility for the Women’s Institute, the Institute for Gay Men’s Health (IGMH) and
coordination of agency wide community level health promotion initiatives.
Prior to her tenure at GMHC, Dr. Hill was the Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of
HIV/AIDS at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH).
At NYCDOHMH, Dr. Hill had administrative oversight for HIV prevention, treatment, and
research and housing programs. Dr. Hill was responsible for all aspects of federally mandated
community planning and for the development of citywide HIV/AIDS policy. In addition, Dr.
Hill provided oversight for prevention, care and is especially proud of the historic expansion of
Syringe Exchange Programs, enhanced NYC inter-agency collaboration and the five million
male and female condoms distributed annually during her tenure.
Dr. Hill formerly served as a Commissioner for the New York State Workers’ Compensation
Board and as Director of the NYC Mayor’s Office for the Lesbian and Gay Community in the
Dinkins' Administration. During her tenure in these positions, Dr. Hill implemented successful
initiatives in public safety, citywide EEO and NYC Domestic Partnership policy.
A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Hill has consulted and lectured on issues of cultural
diversity, HIV/AIDS in communities of color, conflict resolution, organizational devolvement
and homophobia. Prior faculty appointments include Yeshiva University, New York Medical
College, Pace University and the College of New Rochelle. She has several publications
including the American Psychiatric Press release, “Mental Health Issues in Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Communities.” Dr. Hill has also served on the Black Leadership
Commission on AIDS, the New York Civil Liberties Union, The National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force and as chair of the Thirteen/WNET Community Advisory Board. She proudly served a
seven-year plus term on the Board of GMHC, two as Co-Chair and serves on the board of the
Public Health Association of New York.
Dr. Hill has received numerous awards and citations for outstanding community service locally
and nationally. Dr. Hill has appeared on CBS Morning Show, Rolanda, Real Life and is featured
in the documentaries “All God’s Children”, “After Stonewall” and, most recently, “Jane
Hanson’s New York.” A proud New Yorker, Dr. Hill is committed to a career in public service.
Lambert N. King, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P.
Director, Department of Medicine
Queens Hospital Center
Dr. Lambert King is Director of Medicine at Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica, New York, a
position held since 2002. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree with High Distinction in the
Honors Program from the University of Kentucky. He attended the University of Chicago where
he received his M.D. degree and a Ph.D. degree in Experimental Pathology. Following medical
school, Dr. King completed a residency in internal medicine at Cook County Hospital, where he
began his career dedicated to medical needs of inner city communities and correctional
institutions, advancing public health, and providing leadership to urban teaching hospitals.
Between 1974 and 1985, Dr. King directed a broad range of correctional health services,
including those at Cook County jail and Rikers Island while also serving as a special master
appointed by the federal courts to overhaul the health services at Menard Correctional Center in
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Chester, Illinois. From 1985 to 2001, he served as Senior Vice President for Medical and
Academic Affair at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center of New York. Dr. King led St.
Vincent’s response to the AIDS epidemic, designing and guiding the clinical and research
programs, organizing the budget and recruiting staff to secure St. Vincent’s designation as one of
New York State’s earliest and most active Comprehensive AIDS Centers. He is a recipient of
distinguished service awards from the Epilepsy Foundation of America and New York Medical
College and the 1996 Linda Laubenstein HIV Clinical Excellence Award from the NYS AIDS
Institute.
Along with his contributions to medical education and leadership of academic health centers, Dr.
King has conducted studies on the epidemiology of diseases, including tuberculosis and epilepsy,
among people confined in jails and prisons and the organization and improvement of health
services delivery within correctional institutions. He is principal investigator for a national
project of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care to identify best practice models
for continuity of care between prisons and local communities.
Keith Krasinski, M.D.
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
New York University Medical Center
Keith Krasinski, M.D. is Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Environmental Medicine at
New York University Langone School of Medicine, Hospital Epidemiologist at Bellevue
Hospital Center, and an attending pediatrician at New York University Tisch Hospital and
Bellevue Hospital Center. He has, since his arrival in New York in 1981, and continues to enjoy
a busy, hospital-based, practice of pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases.
Dr. Krasinski is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the University of Illinois School of
Medicine. He took his pediatric training at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, Texas,
followed by fellowship training in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at The University of Texas
Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, Texas.
In collaboration with many other clinicians and scientists, Dr. Krasinski has: elucidated
interactions of chloramphenicol and anticonvulsants in children; published the first description
of the natural history of HIV/AIDS in children; elaborated the relationship between severe RSV
infection and chronic lung disease; explored tolerance among group A streptococci; reduced
hospital based needle-stick injuries with the introduction of a new disposal system; virtually
eliminated hospital acquired respiratory syncytial virus infection with screening and cohorting at
admission of children during the “respiratory virus” season; described childhood tuberculosis as
herald to the adult tuberculosis of the 1980’s; recognized that voluntary HIV testing programs
fail to identify infants at risk for HIV infection; advanced the state of knowledge regarding
measles and immunity to measles among HIV infected children, leading to new vaccination
recommendations; elucidated multiple opportunistic infections in HIV infected children;
elucidated multiple laboratory markers of HIV infection in children; drafted the first national
pediatric HIV intervention study creating a template for future studies; recognized that
immunodeficiency parameters of children differ from those of adults; participated in National
and NYS pediatric HIV treatment recommendations; and described the effects of highly active
antiretroviral therapy on immune reconstitution and improved outcome of children. Dr.
Krasinski has more than 175 publications, 200 abstracts and 115 invited presentations.
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In addition to general pediatrics and infections of children and youth, Dr. Krasinski is actively
interested in central nervous system infections, treatment and prevention of HIV infection,
particularly perinatal HIV transmission, prevention and management of HIV complications and
coordinated family centered care of the HIV infected and affected. Dr Krasinski is an energetic
principal investigator or co-investigator in Health Resource Service Administration Ryan White
part C and D HIV care grants, NIH sponsored therapeutic HIV trials and the NYU Center for
AIDS research, and a NYS sponsored initiative for the care of HIV infected adolescents. Dr.
Krasinski is intimately involved in the control of hospital acquired infection. He also holds a
NYS certificate of qualification as a virology laboratory director.
Over the last twenty-five years Dr. Krasinski has developed expertise in human research subject
protection serving as a member of NYULSOM’s Institutional Review Board for twenty years,
ten as Chairman, and as Co-Chairman of the Institutional Review Board of the Biomedical
Research Alliance of New York for the last five years
Megan McLaughlin, D.S.W.
Megan Mclaughlin has spent the past forty years working in a variety of positions in the not-for-
profit sector. She has been a direct practitioner, a policy analyst, an advocate, an administrator
and a teacher. For the past five years, Dr McLaughlin has served as a policy strategist/
management consultant to not-for-profit organizations.
Dr. McLaughlin served as the Executive Director/CEO of the Federation of Protestant Welfare
Agencies, Inc for 17 years until her retirement in 2003. In that capacity she broadened the scope
and breadth of the Federation’s influence and guided the organization to leadership positions in
public policy development in the areas of children and families, poverty/income security and
HIV/AIDS. During her tenure, she guided the creation of several broad-based coalitions
including the Welfare Reform Network, the Pioneers (women with HIV/AIDS), NYS
Intergenerational Network and the Youth Services network. She created new vehicles for
services including: A Training Institute, Resource and Support Center and The Church Desk
which provided critical services to faith-based organizations. Dr McLaughlin also launched
many program initiatives including: HIV/AIDS Capacity Project; Child Care Accreditation;
Black Church Technical Assistance; 9/11 Emergency Assistance; and the Black and Latino Male
Project. She also created new income streams for the agency and grew and diversified its budget
significantly
Prior to assuming leadership at the Federation, Dr. McLaughlin held the position of Senior
Program Officer at the New York Community Trust, the nation’s largest community foundation.
During her tenure at the trust, she managed $1.5 million in grants in the areas of family and child
welfare, youth services, girls and young women and human justice. Dr. McLaughlin developed
programmatic guidelines for grant making in the fields of youth, girls and young women; and
established innovative funding approaches designed to strengthen diverse grassroots
organizations in poor communities.
From 1972- 1974 Dr McLaughlin worked as a Social Planner in the Office of the Prime Minister,
Jamaica. In this position, she provided leadership in formulating plans for youth, community
development, child welfare and public assistance programs. She wrote chapters for the Annual
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Economic and Social Survey and prepared papers for international forums. Dr McLaughlin also
worked as a counselor in the SEEK Program, City College and as a Psychiatric Social Worker at
Harlem Hospital.
As one of the city’s most vociferous advocates for families and children, she testifies regularly
before legislative hearings, serves on several Boards and Task Forces, including the Upper
Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation, Advisory Board of the Human
Resources Administration/Department of Social Services, The Black Family Task Force, The
New York City AIDS Fund, and The Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. As Chair of
former Mayor David N. Dinkins’ Commission for the Foster Care of Children, Dr. McLaughlin
spearheaded the publication of several reports aimed at reforming the foster care system in New
York City.
Dr. McLaughlin has authored studies on Immigration, the Black Family, Foster Care, Family
Preservation and Reunification, Poverty, and Race Relations. She is the recipient of many
honors and awards for her distinguished work in human services, mostly notably: The New
York Women’s Foundation Celebrating Women Award, Crain’s magazine All-Star Award, the
PACE Award from the National Association of Social Workers and the Mary McLeod Bethune
Award from the National Council of Negro Women.
Dr. McLaughlin sits on the Boards of Abyssinian Development Corporation, National Black
Leadership Commission on Aids, National Association of Social Workers, New York Chapter
and she serves on The New York State Aids Advisory Council, The Minority Public/Private
Task Force, Agenda for Children Transition Committee and the ACS HIV/AIDS Advisory Panel.
She is the recipient of numerous honors and awards for her distinguished work in Human
services. She received her BA and MSW from Howard University and her DSW from Columbia
University School of Social Work in 1981. Throughout her entire career, she has served as a
mentor to countless young professionals seeking leadership positions in the public and private
sectors.
Megan McLaughlin received her Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Social Work degrees from
Howard University and took her Doctorate in Social Work from the Columbia University School
of Social Work in 1981.
Edwin A. Mirand, Ph.D.
Vice President, Educational Affairs and
Dean of Roswell Park Graduate Division of SUNY Buffalo
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Dr. Edwin A. Mirand is Emeritus Vice President for Educational Affairs at Roswell Park and
Dean of the Roswell Park Graduate Division of the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Dr. Mirand has been associated with Roswell Park for over six decades and, prior to joining the
staff, was associated with the Institute as a graduate student at the University of Buffalo.
Dr. Mirand received his doctorate from Syracuse University. In addition to his many Institute
responsibilities, Dr. Mirand has been a leader in numerous national and international professional
organizations, serving as Secretary-General of the Thirteenth International Cancer Congress of
the UICC, Secretary-Treasurer of the Association of American Cancer Institutes, President of the
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Association of Gnotobiotics, liaison member of the National Cancer Advisory Board, Chairman
and member of the UICC U.S.A. National Cancer Committee of the National Academy of
Sciences, and as a member of the NYS AIDS Advisory Council.
He is the recipient of many awards and special honors, including Honorary Doctorate of Science
Degrees from both Niagara University and D’Youville College, Outstanding Alumni Award in
Science, College of Arts and Science, SUNY at Buffalo, the Distinguished Service Award in
Science Education from NYS Science Teachers Association, and Merit Award of the
International Union Against Cancer; from the American Association for Cancer Education, The
Margaret H. Edwards Award; from Roswell Park Cancer Institute, The William H. Wehr Award;
Recognition from the American Association For Cancer Research in 1998; from the Association
of American Cancer Institutes in 2004, The Buffalo First Lifetime Achievement Award for
advancing health care (2005); The D’Youville Community Service Award in 2006, and in 2008,
the 13th Annual Achievement in Health Care Award from D’Youville College.
Dr. Mirand is the author of over 500 publications in the fields of endocrinology, virology, and
cancer education and author of several books in his field.
Dr. Mirand was Senior Advisor to the former President and CEO of Roswell Park, Dr. David
Hohn, and remains the same for Dr. Donald L. Trump.
Joseph Pressley
Managing Director, Blocks Project
Harlem United Community AIDS Center
In September 2007, Joe Pressley was hired as the Managing Director of the Blocks Project at
Harlem United Community AIDS Center. As a former employee of Harlem United in the late
1990s, Joe Pressley returned to the organization bringing to the Blocks program his wealth of
community organizing experience. An innovative endeavor, The Blocks Project is a geographic-
based approach to HIV prevention that focuses on where individuals live and not just the
customary risk-based approach that focuses on individuals' behavior (e.g., injecting drug use,
men who have sex with men). Prior to his hire, Mr. Pressley worked briefly as the Director of
Communications and Policy for ECQ Group, Inc. and was the Executive Director of the New
York AIDS Coalition (NYAC) for six years. In the spring of 2007, he was a student intern with
the office of Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito where he worked on public housing issues.
Before assuming the position of NYAC’s Executive Director in 2000, Mr. Pressley was NYAC’s
Director of Public Policy and prior to that he was the Director of Outreach, Education and
Prevention at Harlem United Community AIDS Center (1997 through 1999). Form 1992- 1996
Mr. Pressley was NYAC’s Director of Community Organizing.
Mr. Pressley has a long history of volunteer work in community service organizations including
acting as a former Community Co-Chair of the NYC Prevention Planning Group, a sixty-
member body of government representatives, people living with HIV, providers and other
professionals concerned about the provision of quality prevention services to New Yorkers. And
as the former Executive Director of Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD) which at the time was
an all-volunteer organization. Mr. Pressley has also served in several leadership positions on the
NYC HIV Planning Council. Mr. Pressley currently serves on the New York State AIDS
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Advisory Council as an appointee of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Mr. Pressley holds a
Bachelor’s in Urban Social Sciences from the CUNY Baccalaureate Program at Hunter College.
Jeffrey L. Reynolds, Ph.D.
Public Affairs Advisor
Long Island Association for AIDS Care (LIAAC)
First appointed by NYS Majority Leader Ralph J. Marino, Dr. Jeffrey Reynolds has been a
member of the NYS AIDS Advisory Council since 1994. He has co-chaired several ad-hoc and
standing subcommittees including the Budget Subcommittee, which produces annual state
budget recommendations and coordinates the Council’s Legislative Education Day.
Dr. Reynolds is a Public Affairs Advisor for the Long Island Association for AIDS Care
(LIAAC), where he has worked since 1989, holding several management positions within the
organization – most focused on public policy and governmental relations. He has been a strong
voice for suburban and rural areas of New York State and a strong proponent of HIV-
confidentiality protections.
In addition to numerous book chapters, articles, and op-eds, Dr. Reynolds has authored three
landmark reports: Reclaiming Lost Voices: Children Orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Suburbia;
Mastering the Maze – A Consumer’s Guide to HIV/AIDS and Welfare Reform; and, Sacrificing
Science and Sensibility: How Squeamishness Over Syringes is Stalling Public Health Efforts on
Long Island.
In 1997, Dr. Reynolds helped found LIAAC’s sister organization, BiasHELP – an agency created
to assist victims of hate crimes and their families. The organization has since expanded to
include a variety of programs including a state-funded evidence-based youth violence prevention
project and a federally funded initiative to provide technical assistance, training and financial
support to non-profits serving at-risk youth on Long Island.
Dr. Reynolds holds a Masters degree in Public Administration with a specialty in Health Care
Administration from Long Island University and doctorate from Stony Brook University’s
School of Social Welfare where he is currently an adjunct faculty member.
Teresita R. Rodriguez
Executive Director
Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS (APICHA)
Teresita R. Rodriguez, also known as Therese, is the Executive Director of the Asian and Pacific
Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS Inc. (APICHA), a position she has held since 1997. Under Ms.
Rodriguez’s leadership, APICHA developed a comprehensive range of HIV prevention and
health care services addressing the unique needs of Asians and Pacific Islanders (A&PIs).
Ms. Rodriguez actively participates in HIV/AIDS advocacy coalitions and planning bodies. She
is the Board Secretary of the National Minority AIDS Council and a member of the board of
directors of the New York AIDS Coalition, an alliance of community-based service providers
and their supporters that advocates for increased funding and fair policies for people living with
HIV/AIDS in NYS. She was a member of the Social Services Workgroup of the HIV NYC
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Planning Council and helped identify the needs and gaps in the HIV system of care for A&PIs.
The HIV NYC Planning Council develops a comprehensive plan to provide HIV services for
NYC. She has also served as a member of the NYS Prevention Planning Group (NYSPPG).
The NYSPPG is a community planning group designed to foster partnerships between
communities and the NYS Department of Health through a collaborative process. Its primary
responsibilities are to utilize HIV prevention-related needs assessments to determine HIV
prevention priorities and develop an HIV prevention plan for the state. At the NYSPPG, she was
the co-chair of the finance committee and was a member of the executive committee. She also
served as co-chair of the racial and ethnic committee.
For her leadership in AIDS work and her selfless service to A&PI communities, Ms. Rodriguez
has received numerous awards and citations. On World AIDS Day in December 1999, she was
honored by C. Virginia Fields, the Manhattan Borough President, for devotion to advancing
education on HIV/AIDS. She was also a recipient of an award in June 1998 from the Public
Advocate for NYC, Honorable Mark Green, on the occasion of the Asian and Pacific Islander
Heritage Month. The Ma-Yi Theatre Company acknowledged her humanitarian endeavors at
APICHA and organizing work in the Filipino-American community since the 1970s with a
Community Service Award in June 2000.
Prior to joining APICHA, Ms Rodriguez played leadership roles in several immigrant and human
rights projects in the Filipino American community. These include the Committee for Justice for
the Guce Family, the Committee for Justice for Domingo and Viernes, two Filipino Americans
who were murdered by agents of the late Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, the Defense
Committee for Narciso and Perez, and the Defense Committee for Dr. Bien Alona. The
conviction of the Filipino nurses on charges of murdering 11 patients and the charge of criminal
negligence filed by the U.S. Navy against Dr. Alona were reversed.
Ms. Rodriguez is among the 100 outstanding Filipinas in Joy Buesalido’s celebrated 100 Women
of the Philippines, Celebrating Filipina Womanhood in the New Millennium, which include,
among others, former President of the Philippines Corazon C. Aquino and President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo. In the book, Ms. Rodriguez was cited as an achiever rising above peculiar
difficulties and circumstances of her time by championing the civil rights of Filipinos in the U.S.
Allan Rosenfield, M.D.
Mailman School of Public Health
Columbia University
Allan Rosenfield was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree
from Harvard College and an M.D. degree from Columbia University's College of Physicians
and Surgeons. Internship and one year of general surgical residency was completed at Beth
Israel Hospital in Boston, followed by two years of service in the U.S. Air Force (in South Korea
and San Francisco). He then entered the obstetrics and gynecology residency program at
Harvard's Boston Lying-In/Free Hospital for Women program in Boston (now the Brigham and
Women's Hospital). Following completion of training in 1966, Dr. Rosenfield spent one year as
an instructor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Lagos
Teaching Hospital in Nigeria. He then joined the Population Council, serving for six years in
Thailand as Medical Advisor for Family Planning and Maternal and Child Health to the Ministry
of Public Health, and as representative of the Population Council.
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In 1975, Dr. Rosenfield moved to Columbia University, as professor of Obstetrics-Gynecology
and Public Health, founding director of the Center for Population and Family Health, and
director of ambulatory care for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Since 1986 he has
been Dean of the Mailman School of Public Health, DeLamar Professor of Public Health and
Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology. On May 1, 2008, he stepped down as Dean, but remains
at the Mailman School as a Professor. Prior to becoming dean, he served for two years as acting
chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and an elected
member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He is a member of
numerous scientific and professional organizations and has served on the boards and/or
committees of a wide range of international, national, state and local health-related
organizations. He is a member of the boards of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and the
David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and serves on advisory committees to other national
foundations. He has served as president of the New York Obstetrical Society, chair of the
Association of Schools of Public Health, chair of the Executive Board of the American Public
Health Association, chair of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee of WHO's Human
Reproduction Programme, and chair of the Boards of the Planned Parenthood Federation of
America, EngenderHealth and the Guttmacher Institute, and, for 10 years, chair of the New York
State Department of Health AIDS Advisory Council. He currently is chair of amfAR's Program
Board. In addition, Dr. Rosenfield was a founder of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and
Health.
Dr. Rosenfield’s research, teaching and advocacy are world renowned. As a result, he has
received many honorary awards, including the Government of Thailand, the International
Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, the American Public Health Association
(the Martha May Elliot and Carl Schultz Awards), Public Health Association of New York City,
and Planned Parenthood of NYC. Most recently, Dr. Rosenfield received the New York
Academy of Medicine’s Stephen Smith Award for Lifetime Achievement in Public Health,
Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health’s Kenneth J. Ryan, MD Physician Leadership
Award, National Association of People with AIDS Award, Doctors of the World (USA) Health
and Human Rights Leadership Award, American Legacy Foundation’s first Legacy Leadership
Award for Extraordinary Leadership in Public Health, the Coalition for School-Based Primary
Care’s inaugural Public Health Leadership Award, the reproductive health movement’s highest
award, Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s Margaret Sanger Award, the Global Health
Council Award for global women’s health, the International Women’s Health Coalition Award,
the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association Allan Rosenfield Award and
the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Dean’s Distinguished Service Award.
He has written extensively (with over 140 published articles) on domestic and international
issues in the fields of population, women’s reproductive health, maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS,
human rights and health policy and developed major global initiatives on maternal mortality,
reproductive health, women’s health and HIV/AIDS.
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Appendix C
New York State AIDS Advisory Council
Published Reports
• Women in Peril, HIV & AIDS: The Rising Toll on Women of Color, December 2005.
• Report on Syringe Access in New York State, January 2005.
• Communities at Risk: HIV/AIDS in Communities of Color, Winter 2001-2001.
• Report on HIV/AIDS Services in New York State Correctional Facilities, February 1999.
• Findings of the HIV Surveillance Workgroup, April 1998.
• Report of the Ethical Issues in Access to HIV Treatment Workgroup, September 1998.
• Report on Needle Exchange Programs and Deregulation of Needles and Syringes, The New
York State AIDS Advisory Council, April 1996.
• Proposed Principles Governing Mandated Testing of Persons Accused of Certain Crimes,
April 1996.
• Report on the Discharge of Homeless Persons with TB, June 1994.
• Report on Newborn HIV Screening, February 1994.
• Report of the Subcommittee on Sex Clubs, January 1993.
• Illusions of Immortality: The Confrontation of Adolescence and AIDS, 1991.
• Interim Report from the Subcommittee on the HIV-Infected Health Care Worker, 1991.
• Report on Exposure to HIV Through Rape and Occupational Injury - Subcommittee on
Occupational Issues, April 1990.
• Management of HIV Infection in New York State Prisons - Ad hoc Committee on AIDS &
Correctional Facilities, November 1989.
Note:
Reports are available at:
http://www.nyhealth.gov/diseases/aids/workgroups/aac/publishedreports.htm
Appendix D
New York State AIDS Advisory Council
Members: Past and Present
Years of
Council Members Service
Duncan W. Clark, M.D. 1983-1996
Edwin A. Mirand, Ph.D. 1983-present
Jeffrey Reynolds, Ph.D. 1994-present
Allan Rosenfield, M.D.* 1995-present
Lambert N. King, M.D., Ph.D. 1995-present
Keith Krasinski, M.D. 1995-present
Megan E. McLaughlin, Ph.D. 1995-present
Tracie M. Gardner 2001-present
Joe B. Pressley 2001-present
Conrad T. Fischer, M.D. 2002-present
Sandra Ruiz Butter, M.S.** 2005-present
Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D. 2007-present
Jose M. Davila 2008-present
Teresita Rodriguez 2008-present
Andrew Doniger, M.D. 2008-present
Hon. Roy Goodman 1983-2002
Bishop Paul Moore, Jr.* 1983-1987
Virginia M. Apuzzo 1985-1997
David E. Rogers, M.D.* 1987-1994
Philip W. Brickner, M.D. 1987-1995
Robert Newman, M.D. 1987-1995
Carolyn Britton, M.D. 1990-1995
Felix Velazquez 1990-1999
Hon. Marvin E. Frankel 1990-1995
David A. Hansel, Esq. 1990-2006
Ramon Rodriguez 1991-1997
Ana Dumois, Ph.D., D.S.W. 1992-1999
Richard D. Dadey, Jr. 1992-1995
James R. Dumpson, Ph.D. 1993-1995
Hazel S. Jeffries 1993-1996
Bruce C. Vladeck, Ph.D. 1993-1995
David Hodes, M.D. 1995-1999
William McCarthy 1995-2004
Sister Antonia McGuire 1996-2007
Mark Rapoport, M.D., M.P.H. 1996-2002
William A. Viscovich, Esq. 1997-2007
Hon. Thomas K. Duane 1997-present
Barbara Williams 1997-2008
Mark Hiram Kaplan, M.D. 2002-2005
Note:
* Past Council Chair Persons
** Current Council Chair Person
