Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS

Abner was appointed to the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) by President
Bush in 2002.  He served from 2002 –2005, and was Chairman of the International
Committee. PACHA provides advice, information and recommendations to the President, and
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. As Chairman of the International Committee,
Abner’s focus was the development of policy recommendations to insure effective US
leadership in the global fight against HIV, especially in highly impacted poor countries. In
2003, Abner lead a successful effort to have PACHA vote to encourage the US Government
to take a strong position in favor of intellectual property rights in international trade
negotiations as a way to protect innovation and encourage continued investment in new and
better drugs to treat HIV.
Members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS with President Bush in the Treaty
Room of the Old Executive Office Building in January 2003. Joining the President is Health and
Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, and then PACHA Co-Chair US Senator Tom
Coburn. ARP Executive Director Abner Mason is at the far left of photo.
Abner Mason, Chairman of the
International subcommittee for the
Presidential Advisory Council on
HIV/AIDS, with Dr. Joe O'Neill,
Deputy Coordinator and Chief
Medical Officer for the US
Government's Global AIDS
Program. Mason chaired the
Townhall Meeting held at the
National Press Club in Washington,
DC.
Mason Chairs Townhall Meeting on President's $15 billion Plan for AIDS relief in
Africa at the National Press Club


UNITED STATES: PACHA Holds Town Hall Meeting on Bush's Africa AIDS Plan
Bay Area Reporter (San Francisco) (12.25.03) - Monday, January 05, 2004
Bob Roehr

The International Subcommittee of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) held a
town hall meeting Dec. 18 at the National Press Club in Washington to discuss the President's
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Abner Mason, chair of the subcommittee, cited the
large, diverse audience as "yet further proof of our nation's commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS."
Joseph F. O'Neill, the former AIDS czar who has moved to the State Department as deputy
coordinator and chief medical officer of the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, noted that there
are many complications involved in responding to the AIDS emergency, and the strategic plan due
to Congress Feb. 20 is the beginning of the process.

Representatives of numerous groups presented three minutes of testimony to the committee.
Rachel Cohen of Doctors Without Borders said patients in Africa adhere to therapy at rates of more
than 90 percent. Patient education and community mobilization are essential, she said.

Jodi Jacobson of Health and Gender Equality said PEPFAR must address the subordination of
women and empower them to take charge of their own protection for HIV prevention.
Representatives of many religious organizations stressed the importance of abstinence as an
element of prevention.

Ernest Hopkins of the Pangaea Foundation, part of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said, "With
the proper support and mentorship, nurses and community health workers can deliver very high
quality care."

Other speakers brought up such issues as corporate commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, clinic
activities at AIDS Healthcare Foundation sites in Africa and Honduras, and loosening criteria to
enable more organizations to apply for funding to provide quick access to the best possible care for
the poorest and most vulnerable HIV/AIDS patients in Africa and the Caribbean.
Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
Members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS with US Health and Human Services
Secretary Leavitt. ARP Executive Director Abner Mason is seated 3rd from the right.
Abner Mason Founder & CEO, Corporate Responsibility Partners, LLC
"workplace wellness strategy for emerging markets"