Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Welcomes Three New Vice Presidents to Head Departments of Program Implementation, Program Innovation and Policy, and Development and Marketing

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation announced today that it has named three new vice presidents to its senior leadership team as part of its greatly accelerated effort to eliminate pediatric HIV/AIDS. These three positions will lead the departments of Program Implementation, Program Innovation and Policy, and Development and Marketing, and will all be based in Washington, D.C.  

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"As a global leader in pediatric AIDS implementation, research, and advocacy, the Foundation has expanded its lifesaving work over the past two decades, and today works in 17 countries around the world," said Charles Lyons, President and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.  "We are at the forefront of efforts to eliminate pediatric AIDS worldwide, and growing the Foundation's leadership, resources, and impact is critical to realizing a generation free from HIV."

The new members of the Foundation's Senior Leadership Team are:

Anja Giphart, MD, MPH is the Foundation's new Vice President of Program Implementation.  Giphart will oversee the technical aspects of program implementation, to include country support, program quality, and monitoring and evaluation.

Dr. Giphart has extensive knowledge of health and development programs in resource poor countries, with particular focus in prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), reproductive and child health services, and health care systems.  Prior to her most recent position as the Foundation's Country Director in Tanzania, Giphart served as the Technical Director for the program in Tanzania, working on strengthening the linkages between PMTCT and Care and Treatment programs.  Before joining the Foundation, she worked for Macro International where she participated in the development of international indicators for HIV care and support, TB/HIV/AIDS collaborative activities, and other indicators related to measuring quality and availability of different health care services.  Dr. Giphart has also lived and worked in Mozambique and Zambia.  In Zambia, she served as the Chief Medical Officer of a government district hospital for more than two years, and in Mozambique, she was the District Clinical Director for more than three years.  Dr. Giphart received her M.D.  from Erasmus University, Netherlands, before completing her residency in Gynecology and Obstetrics at Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis Hospital, Netherlands,  and her residency in Surgery at Merwede Ziekenhuis Hospital, Netherlands . She received her MPH from Johns Hopkins University.

RJ Simonds, MD is the Foundation's Vice President of Program Innovation and Policy, and is responsible for supporting program implementation through development of strategies for program optimization, program innovation, and application of new technologies, as well as developing, documenting, and disseminating technical program policies, standards, and best practices. 

Dr. Simonds has worked on HIV/AIDS during the past 20 years at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), first as Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer and medical epidemiologist in the Pediatric and Family Studies Section from 1990-1998, during the period when PMTCT was first implemented in the U.S. 

From 1998-2001, he worked with the HIV/AIDS Collaboration in Thailand, where he oversaw CDC's technical assistance to the Royal Thai Government in the implementation of its national PMTCT program.  From 2001-2010, Dr. Simonds worked in CDC's Global AIDS Program in Atlanta, and since November 2004, he served as GAP's Deputy Director, working with the Director to oversee GAP's programs at headquarters and in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as part of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  He served as a PEPFAR Deputy Principal since the beginning of PEPFAR.  A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he received a BA in Geography from the University of California at Berkeley, and an MD from the University of Hawaii.  He also completed a residency and chief residency in Pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.

Colleen Zakrewsky is the Foundation's Vice President of Development and Marketing.  Zakrewsky will be responsible for substantially increasing unrestricted funds for programs, research, and advocacy, with a specific emphasis on diversifying, increasing, and sustaining these resources through private sector support, and will strengthen marketing and fundraising strategies to yield additional financial contributions that are commensurate with the Foundation's success, reputation, and vision.

Zakrewsky has more than two decades of non-profit and fundraising experience.  She has worked at the American Red Cross for more than 12 years, most recently as the Vice President of Individual Gifts at its National Headquarters, overseeing $165 million in annual fundraising revenue through direct response, major and leadership gifts, and gift planning programs.  Zakrewsky previously served as the Executive Director of the American Red Cross Nashville Area Chapter and in fundraising leadership roles in Atlanta and New York.  Her tenure at the Red Cross was marked with fundraising innovations to capitalize on market trends, sustainable revenue growth in fundraising strategies, and working on fundraising efforts of the catastrophic and high-profile disasters of September 11th, Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Tsunami, and 2010 Haiti earthquake.

About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV and AIDS, working in 17 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment; to further advance innovative research; and to execute strategic and targeted global advocacy activities to bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide.

SOURCE Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation