The Partnership to End HIV, STDs, and Hepatitis

Organizations and Executive Directors

Jesse Milan, Jr.

President and CEO, AIDS United

Jesse Milan, Jr.

President and CEO, AIDS United

A person living with HIV for over three decades, Milan is a recognized leader in the HIV community. He brings 30-years of executive experience in both the public and private sectors and has directed multi-million dollar budgets and staff for federal, state, local and global public health agencies. In 2002, he began a five-year term as co-chair of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment (CHAC) and in 2007 was designated a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Global HIV/AIDS. Milan has also worked as a leadership development consultant with the Dorrier Underwood firm, and as a subject matter expert consultant for clients including the CDC, HRSA and the Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy. He is Chair Emeritus of the Black AIDS Institute board of directors, serves on the Scientific Advisory Board for the PEPFAR and on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Stephen Lee

Executive Director, NASTAD

Stephen Lee

Executive Director, NASTAD

Dr. Stephen Lee is the executive director of NASTAD. Stephen oversees all NASTAD programs – Health Care Access, Prevention, Hepatitis, Drug User Health, Health Equity, Policy & Legislative Affairs, and Health Systems Integration – as well as NASTAD’s overall operations. Stephen has deep expertise in program and organizational management, and his experience as a physician brings a practical perspective with regard to policy and program implementation. Prior to joining NASTAD, Stephen was a global HIV expert for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, where for 13 years he managed the development and implementation of programs that provided prevention, care, and treatment services to individuals affected by HIV. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Baylor University, a degree in medicine from Emory University School of Medicine, an MBA from Heriot Watt University, and a post graduate diploma in health systems management from the University of London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

David Harvey

Executive Director, NCSD

David Harvey

Executive Director, NCSD

David joined NCSD as executive director in October of 2016. Previously, he was founding executive director of AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families, a national public health association; and president and CEO of Proliteracy, an international adult education organization. David has held positions as project director and policy analyst for the National Disability Rights Network and the University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ’s – National Pediatric & Family HIV Resource Center. He is past executive director of LIFT-DC, an anti-poverty direct service organization in Washington. David started out his career as an aide to U.S. Representative Sam Gejdenson (D-CT) and Martin Stevens, M.P. (C-Fulham & Hammersmith) in the House of Commons.

David has spoken widely at domestic and international conferences, served on various national boards and blue ribbon panels and in 2012 was appointed by Secretary Clinton to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO. He is a graduate of Clark University and Catholic University of America and has authored over 20 peer-reviewed articles and chapters and various other publications. David is currently a member of the board of American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association (ASTDA) and is a nationally certified executive coach through the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Paul Kawata

Executive Director, NMAC

Paul Kawata

Executive Director, NMAC

Since 1989, Paul Kawata has served as Executive Director of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC), the premier organization dedicated to building leadership in communities of color to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS. Under his guidance, NMAC has become a powerful voice in Washington, DC for over 3,000 HIV/AIDS organizations nationwide, and provides a comprehensive array technical assistance programs and services; conferences; trainings; and printed and online resource materials.

Prior to joining NMAC, Kawata served as founding executive director of the National AIDS Network, the first national organization dedicated to developing the capability and effectiveness of community-based leaders in the fight against AIDS, from 1985-1989. During his tenure, he planned and implemented three consecutive, annual National Skills Building Conferences—the first of their kind in the world—and recruited the Ad Council to work on the inaugural national HIV/AIDS public service campaign. He also organized and supported the National AIDS Fund, the single largest private philanthropic partnership in the history of the epidemic.

Michael Ruppal

Executive Director, The AIDS Institute

Michael Ruppal

Executive Director, The AIDS Institute

Michael Ruppal is the Executive Director of The AIDS Institute (TAI), a national HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and related disease organization with a mission to promote action for social change through, public policy, advocacy, research and education. He is responsible for overseeing all of the agency’s day to day operations of its highly skilled team and programs including state and federal policy, patient advocacy, research, education, capacity building, communications, community planning, and convening. TAI’s program and administrative offices are in Tampa, FL at the University of South Florida, College of Medicine, where Michael is the Director of Policy and Ethics for the College of Medicine as part of the collaboration. He also oversees TAI’s state policy offices in Tallahassee, FL and the national policy office in Washington, DC.

Since 1996, he has functioned in senior management for the non-profit sector developing, managing and providing HIV/AIDS support services in various capacities, including grant management, case management, site based homeless program, supportive housing services, rental assistance, food pantry, financial management and job placement.

Congressional Briefing: Syndemic Approaches to Ending the HIV, Hepatitis, and STI Epidemics

Join an important briefing on the FY 2025 appropriations bills addressing federal funding for HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and hepatitis programs. During this briefing, panelists will discuss the importance of syndemic approaches and sustained and increased funding for these critical public health programs. 

Refreshments will be served. 

Date: June 27, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Location: 385 Russell Senate Office Building, 2 Constitution Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002
RSVP: Email Zach Miller, Policy Manager, NMAC, ZMiller@NMAC.org

The session will cover:

• Syndemic approaches to our HIV, STI, and viral hepatitis epidemics
• Current funding levels and their impact
• Evidence-based needs, effective syndemic policies, and proposed budget allocations
• The implications of the appropriations on public health outcomes

Harold Phillips

Moderator

Deputy Director of Programs, NMAC

Harold Phillips

Deputy Director of Programs, NMAC

Harold Phillips currently serves as Deputy Director of Programs at NMAC, formerly known as the National Minority AIDS Council, and is the former director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). 

Lindsey Dawson

Panelist

Associate Director for HIV Policy/Director for LGBTQ Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation

Lindsey Dawson

Associate Director for HIV Policy/Director for LGBTQ Health Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation

Lindsey Dawson is associate director of HIV Policy and director of LGBTQ Health Policy at KFF in Washington, DC. Her work focuses on how health systems, insurance coverage and federal funding affect access to care for people with HIV and the programs that serve them. 

Billie Swiggard

Panelist

MD, PhD, Mazzoni Center

Billie Swiggard

MD, PhD, Mazzoni Center

Dr. Swiggard is a trans female physician at the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia, where she provides quality comprehensive health and wellness services in an LGBTQ-focused environment. Dr. Swiggard also researches latent HIV infection that escapes eradication by ART, and the process of immune recovery in patients taking ART.

Maria Corcorran

Panelist

MD, MPH, University of Washington and SHE/Aurora Clinic

Maria Corcorran

MD, MPH, University of Washington and SHE/Aurora Clinic

Dr. Corcorran is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. She also serves as a provider at the SHE/Aurora Clinic and as an HIV primary care provider at the Madison Clinic.

*click to read bios

About The Partnership

How The Partnership works

The Partnership works with policymakers and others to preserve HIV, STD, and hepatitis legislative successes, promote necessary appropriation and funding levels, retain crucial aspects of existing health care coverage, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Medicaid, and build upon the progress Federal programs have made on HIV, STD, and hepatitis prevention, treatment, care, and support over the last several decades.

The Partnership’s Advocacy Focus

HIV Prevention & Care

• Prevention: Despite tremendous progress with HIV prevention efforts, there are still an estimated 38,500 new infections each year. Continued funding for the CDC is needed to maintain recent gains and intensify prevention efforts in communities where HIV is the most prevalent. We must also expand access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a way for people who do not have HIV but who are at substantial risk of infection to prevent HIV infection by taking a pill every day. When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92%. PrEP is a powerful HIV prevention tool and can be combined with condoms and other prevention methods to provide even greater protection than when used alone.

• Care: The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program provides a critical and comprehensive system of care that includes access to lifesaving medication to low income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals living with HIV in the U.S. through the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), primary medical care, and essential support services for people living with HIV who are uninsured or underinsured, including premium assistance. As the program struggles to keep up with demand amid a changing and uncertain healthcare landscape, continued funding is critically important now and in the future to ensure that access to healthcare, medications, and other services for people with HIV are consistently maintained.

• Housing: The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Program provides housing assistance and related supportive services for low-income people living with HIV and their families. Housing is the greatest unmet need for people living with HIV. Adequate funding for HOPWA is needed to ensure safe, affordable housing for low-income people living with HIV.
  
• SMAIF: Racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. are disproportionately impacted by HIV. The Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative aims to improve the HIV-related health outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The resources for MAI are designed to encourage capacity building, innovation, collaboration, and the integration of best practices.

STD Prevention

STD infections are at an all-time high in the U.S and these epidemics are worsening. A growing body of evidence shows that these epidemics are inextricably linked with the HIV and opioid epidemics. Sexually transmitted infections increase an individual’s risk of acquiring HIV, can result in severe birth defects, including infant death, and cause infertility and other negative health outcomes. Our nation must provide adequate and robust investments in STD prevention programs at the CDC. We must appropriately fund our public health infrastructure to address these growing epidemics.

Hepatitis

While there is a cure for HCV, there has been a 350% increase in the number of new cases between 2010 and 2016. And of the 3.5 million people living with HCV, only half are aware of their status. The elimination of hepatitis B and C in the United States is within our reach, but not without increased investments in comprehensive, national hepatitis prevention, screening, linkage to care, education and surveillance programs.

Opioid Epidemic

The current opioid epidemic is a public health crisis not only because of its ties to injection drug use and overdoses, but also because of its role in increases in infectious diseases like HIV, STDs, and hepatitis. Increased funding will enable the CDC and its grantees to better tackle these recent opioid-related spikes in infections, help jurisdictions scale up prevention efforts, including syringe service programs, increase infectious disease testing and linkage to care and treatment, and fund comprehensive viral hepatitis surveillance systems.

NMAC Contact for The Partnership