Last week, 24 new members were inducted into the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA).

This governmental advisory board provides council to the President and the serving Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding national and international HIV/AIDS policy.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius selected new council members for their expertise on or experience with HIV/AIDS matters.

Past members have included research scientists, pharmaceutical company directors, HIV patients, testing counselors, public health officials, activists, and non-profit organization leaders.

This meeting was PACHA’s first under the Barack Obama administration.

“These new members…represent the best of America,” said Sebelius, according to the AIDS.gov blog. “I look forward to their strategic guidance in assisting HHS to do its part in developing and implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and in supporting the important work of the PEPFAR program.”

In addition to the swearing-in ceremony of the new members, leading governmental policy makers and PACHA chairs spoke on relevant HIV/AIDS issues.

They also fielded public comments from a diverse group of attendees, including HIV/AIDS researchers, health service providers, and people living with the virus.

During this discussion, topics ranged from homophobia to sexual health and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

In 1995, President Bill Clinton established PACHA as part of a governmental response to the AIDS epidemic.

During the council’s years under President George W. Bush, it received criticism for its perceived ineffectiveness. His most controversial appointment to PACHA was Dr. Joseph McIlhaney, who questioned the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Instead, McIlhaney advocated abstinence-only programs.

President Obama has pledged to funnel more money into implementing national HIV/AIDS policy. His 2011 budget increased funding to HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs by $71 million.

“We often speak about HIV/AIDS as if it’s only going on somewhere else — but we face a serious HIV/AIDS epidemic in America,” remarked Obama, according to the blog. “That’s why, last year, my administration began crafting a new National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Today, I’m pleased to have a new group of experts joining PACHA, and I look forward to hearing from the Council about our continued efforts to prevent the spread of HIV infections in the United States and to provide care and treatment to people living with HIV/AIDS around the world.”

The council hopes to use the combined knowledge of its members to aid the President and the nation in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

More information can be found at the PACHA Web site, the Office of National AIDS Policy Web site, or the AIDS.gov blog.