amfAR’s Chris Collins Honored for National HIV/AIDS Strategy Advocacy

Award, given by Project Inform, honors Collins’s “clear vision and tireless work” in leading the Steering Committee of the Coalition for a National HIV/AIDS Strategy 

For Immediate Release

Media Contact:
Cub Barrett, Program Communications Manager
(212) 806-1602 

NEW YORK, October 27, 2010—amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, on Wednesday applauded Chris Collins, amfAR’s vice president and director of public policy, for receiving Project Inform’s first Thomas M. Kelley Leadership Award for his instrumental work in advocating for the development of the United States’ first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy.

Chris Collins

The award, shared with Rebecca Haag, executive director of AIDS Action, and Dr. Judith Auerbach, vice president of science and public policy at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, honors each recipient’s work in forming and leading the Steering Committee of the Coalition for a National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which, according to Project Inform, “exemplifies the highest spirit and purpose of HIV advocacy in calling for this outstanding blueprint for further controlling the epidemic.”

The White House Office of National AIDS Policy released the Strategy in July 2010 and is currently working on its implementation plan.

“Chris called out the fact that simply doing more of the same would not get the impact we need in the domestic AIDS epidemic,” said Dana Van Gorder, Project Inform’s executive director. “Countless times in the two years of work that led to the Strategy, Chris reminded us of the need to identify major game-changers in our approach to this epidemic, and because of his clear vision and tireless work, we now have the opportunity to make major strides against HIV.” 

Collins has long been a leading voice on the importance of a National HIV/AIDS Strategy.  In 2007, he authored the monograph, Improving Outcomes: Blueprint for a National AIDS Plan for the United States, published by the Open Society Institute. His piece described major gaps in the nation’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the need for a more coordinated, accountable and outcomes-oriented approach. 

“For all its successes, the outcomes of our domestic response to HIV/AIDS are unacceptable—needless infection, mortality, and stigma,” Collins said. “The Obama Administration has given us a Strategy that points toward important reforms. Now we need the resources and smart implementation to create a response that drives down infection rates and gets care and treatment to all who need it.”

The award will be presented Wednesday night in San Francisco at Project Inform’s annual gala, Evening of Hope: A Night of Lifesaving Fashion. Founded in 1985, Project Inform has been a leading advocate for the development of HIV/AIDS treatment and for quality health care for people living with HIV and people who are vulnerable to infection.

About amfAR
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. Since 1985, amfAR has invested more than $307 million in its programs and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide.

About Project Inform
Founded in 1985, Project Inform’s mission is to represent HIV-positive people in the development of treatments and a cure; support individuals to make informed choices about their HIV health; advocate for quality health care to respond to HIV and related conditions; and promote medical strategies that prevent new infections.