Michael Wong, MD, Chairman

Dr. Wong is a nationally-recognized HIV specialist working in a variety of clinical and academic settings, as well as engaging in a variety of advocacy and policy activities locally, nationally and globally. Dr. Wong is an HIV specialist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA; an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Medical Director, Transplant Infectious Diseases, Transplant Center, at Beth Israel. He also is a Ryan White Part C, HIV consultant to Dimock Community Health Center. Dr. Wong has worked in a variety of professional positions and major visiting appointments, including an advisor to ADAPs (Virginia Health Department), a director for the Mid-Atlantic AETC, and senior faculty in the AIDS Public Policy Program at the Kennedy School of Government.

He has worked in the Ukraine, Moscow, and China with various professional HIV related organizations.

Donna Elaine Sweet, MD, MACP, Vice Chair

Dr. Sweet is a researcher with over twenty-five years experience working in HIV, whose leadership on issues of HIV and care for patients with the disease has been nationally recognized.  Dr. Sweet works extensively with the Health Resource Service Administration on Ryan White issues and serves as national co-Chair for the CDC HRSA AIDS Advisory Council (CHAC).

A certified HIV specialist, Dr. Sweet cares for approximately 1,000 HIV positive patients in Kansas and acts as principal investigator and director of the Kansas AIDS Education and Training Center. As principal investigator and medical director of the Ryan White Part C Early Intervention Program since 1993, she recently expanded her responsibilities when, in 2009, she secured funding to begin a Ryan White Part D Family Services program to care for women, infants, children and youth infected and affected by HIV.

Dr. Sweet lectures throughout the world to educate other health care providers about HIV and AIDS.

Robyn Lynn Watson, PhD, Secretary

Dr. Watson is Director of the Public Health Division at the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation, where she oversees the organization's public health related research and evaluation, develops and manages public health programs, administers public health internships, produces public health publications, and performs professional services relating to traditionally underrepresented populations. Dr. Watson has a Ph.D. in Health Services Organization & Policy with a special focus on women and minority health.

Paul A. Moore, Treasurer

Mr. Moore has spent almost twenty-five years in HIV/AIDS activities at the state and local levels. Starting as the first staff member (Deputy Director) of the NYS AIDS Institute he formerly served as Director of an HIV/AIDS Coalition in Palm Beach County, FL and is now Budget Director of the Palm Beach County Health Department. Moore's programmatic areas of experience include: prevention, medical/social services, and housing. He is a former ex-officio member of the Board for the American Public Health Association. He received his undergraduate degree in International Relations from Clark University in Worcester, MA and his MSW from the Hunter College School of Social Work.

Moore is a former Adjunct Faculty Member at the New School for Social Research where he taught "AIDS Issues for Hospital Administrators."

Katherine brown, MD, FACP

Dr. Brown is an internal medicine physician with Pike Street Medical Clinic, a community health center in Seattle, WA, where she cares for forty patients living with HIV.  Previously she worked with a community health center in Texas that provided primary care to approximately 2000 patients living with HIV.

As a practicing physician with nearly twenty-years experience in research, academia, treatment and care, Dr. Brown is experiencing the challenges that a smaller clinic faces as they try to offer HIV treatment to non-traditional populations.

Dr. Brown earned her Doctorate in Medicine from the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Medicine and serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor with the Department of Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Orlando Taquechel

Mr. Taquechel is Executive Vice President of Project Management at Miami Beach Community Center (MBCHC) has extensive first hand knowledge of HIV/AIDS and primary care issues in Miami-Dade county. He has over 20 years of experience in the management of new projects including financing, contractual agreements, corporate and personnel relations, facilities design and layout, advertising, promotion and community relations. Mr. Taquechel holds a Masters degree in Business Administration with specialization in Health Care Management and has been in charge of Ryan White Title I and Title III programs at MBCHC since 1998. In 2000, he was awarded the South Florida AIDS Network's Award of Service. Mr. Taquechel is a former Title III Representative on the CAEAR Coalition Board of Directors.

Sharon Valenti, CNP, MSN, BC, AAHIVS, AACRN

Ms. Valenti is a nationally recognized certified nurse practitioner at St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit, MI, where she provides primary medical care for patients living with HIV and other infectious diseases. She also devotes a large part of her time to promoting HIV research and obtaining Expanded Access Programs (EAP) for antiretroviral medications in Phase III clinical trials.

A former member of the President's Advisory Council for HIV/AIDS, Ms. Valenti is active on a number of national and regional committees, including Co-Chair of the American Academy of HIV Medicines Nurse Practitioner National Committee, and Chair of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care of Southeast Michigan.

Ms. Valenti is the published author of numerous articles on HIV testing in primary care settings, and is certified in HIV care through the American Academy of HIV Medicine and through the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care.

Jonathan Appelbaum, MD, FACP, AAHIVS

Dr. Appelbaum is Director of Internal Medicine Education at Florida State University College of Medicine where he teaches medical students while seeing patients at a Ryan White funded community health center in Tallahassee, FL. A nationally recognized HIV primary care physician with more than twenty-five years of clinical and education experience caring for people living with HIV in a variety of clinical settings, Dr. Appelbaum is also the co-principal investigator for a collaboration that is writing treatment strategies for older patients living with HIV.

An advocate for broader HIV education in medical schools, Dr. Appelbaum earned his doctorate in medicine from the University of Miami and the author of numerous journal articles on HIV care and geriatrics.

Kathleen Geissel, PharmD

Dr. Geissel is Executive Director of Educational Strategy at Medscape Education, from WebMD, the leading online provider of medical education where she leads a team of medical and educational strategists in developing education plans and curriculum. A former Senior Director of Medical Content for both Vitesel Learning, Inc. and Medsn, Inc., she also served as Director of Medical Marketing for Watson Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Geissel's clinical background includes four years experience providing direct pharmaceutical treatment plan management for patients with long term infections and HIV.

A graduate of Temple University, Dr. Geissel received her Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of Sciences in Philadelphia, PA.