IAS President Adeeba Kamarulzaman Appointed To WHO Science Council

Monday, 26 April 2021 (Geneva, Switzerland): IAS – the International AIDS Society – welcomes the appointment of its President, Adeeba Kamarulzaman, to the newly formed World Health Organization (WHO) Science Council.

The Science Council will advise WHO on high-priority scientific issues that could have a direct impact on global health.

“Science must be at the heart of everything we do as global health advocates,” Kamarulzaman said. “Like the HIV pandemic, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the best and most effective responses have come from countries that have followed the advice of their key scientific institutions and placed the needs of their populations at the centre.”

The Science Council comprises nine members representing all regions, including a Nobel Laureate as its chair:

• Prof Harold Varmus, Nobel Laureate, Weill Cornell, USA (Chair)
• Dr Salim Abdool Karim, Director of the Centre for the AIDS program of research in South Africa (CAPRISA), South Africa
• Dr Edith Heard, Director General of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), United Kingdom
• Prof Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Professor of Medicine & Infectious Diseases, and President, International AIDS Society, Malaysia
• Dr Mary-Claire King, Professor of Genome Sciences and Associate Director, Medical Scientist, University of Washington, USA
• Prof Abla Mehio Sibai, Professor of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
• Dr Denis Mukwege, Gynaecolist and Nobel Peace Laureate, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Dr Bill Pape, Director and Founder of Gheskio, Haiti
• Dr Yongyuth Yuthavong, Senior Specialist, National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, NSTDA, Thailand

The Science Council will hold its first meeting on 27 April 2021, where it will decide on initial steps and programme of work.

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