Former Director of U.S. Office of Global AIDS Coordinator Joins APCO International Advisory Council

Washington, D.C. (July 21, 2009) – Ambassador Mark R. Dybul, former director of the U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator , joins APCO Worldwide’s International Advisory Council (IAC), President and CEO Margery Kraus announced today.

“Mark is a leader in the global effort to provide HIV/AIDS education, prevention, care and treatment to millions of affected adults and children around the world,” said Kraus. “APCO has a long tradition of helping businesses and groups from various sectors establish outreach programs and advising their communication needs when responding to global health challenges. We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Dybul to our International Advisory Council and look forward to the strategic counsel he will bring to clients on these pressing issues.”

As director of the U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, Dr. Dybul led the implementation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) that distributed more than $18 billion and supported antiretroviral treatment for over two million AIDS patients in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Dybul also oversaw the U.S. government engagement with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and chaired the coordinating board for the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). He was a presidential appointee the board of trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Prior to his role as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, Dybul served at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as the steering committee co-chair for President George W. Bush's initiative to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa and the Caribbean, and as a member of the Planning Task Force which led to the establishment of PEPFAR. He was assistant director for medical affairs for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIAID/NIH), executive secretary of the HHS panel on guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-infected adults and adolescents, and a member of the World Health Organization's committee to develop global HIV therapy guidelines.

Dybul is a distinguished scholar and co-director at Georgetown University's O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health and serves as senior advisor to the president of Georgetown University. He is also a senior counselor to the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GBC).

“I am delighted that APCO is committed to playing a key role in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and I am honored to join their International Advisory Council,” said Dybul. “I look forward to helping clients raise awareness, build advocacy and maximize the reach and impact of their global health efforts.”

Dybul joins a team of distinguished health experts on the IAC, including Trevor Neilson, former executive director of the GBC; Dr. Kenneth Thorpe, former deputy assistant secretary at HHS; and Dr. Tevi D. Troy, former deputy secretary at HHS.

About APCO Worldwide

Founded in 1984, APCO Worldwide is an award-winning, independently owned global communication consultancy with offices in major cities throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., APCO clients include corporations and governments; industry associations and nonprofit organizations; and seven of the top 10 companies on Fortune’s Global 500. APCO offers services related to business and finance; media, public opinion and society; and government and public policy. The firm is a majority women-owned business. For more information, please visit www.apcoworldwide.com.

About the International Advisory Council

APCO’s International Advisory Council is a dynamic group of former senior members of government, the media, the diplomatic corps, academia, the business community and nonprofit organizations who work hand-in-hand with APCO’s professionals to counsel clients on a broad range of issues.

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Contact:
Elizabeth Wolf
+202.778.1470
ewolf@apcoworldwide.com