Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, welcomed President Barack Obama’s nomination of Dr. Deborah L. Birx to be the Ambassador at Large and Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Combat HIV/AIDS Globally.

“Maryland is home to the very best medical researchers in the world, so I am pleased that President Obama has nominated long-time Potomac resident Dr. Deborah Birx to such an essential post in the Department of State. Dr. Birx is a model Marylander and a pioneer in HIV/AIDS research who has dedicated her life’s work to public service. Currently on-site in Haiti, Dr. Birx is a distinguished retroviral expert, with extensive academic and hands on experience. Her leadership will help move us closer toward the promise of an AIDS-free generation. I look forward to a swift and open confirmation process. This critical position on the front lines of the global quest to eradicate HIV/AIDS has been left unfilled for far too long.”

Dr. Birx continues a distinguished career in public service and health policy; she served on active duty in the U.S. Army for 29 years, retiring in 2008 with the rank of Colonel. While in the Army, Dr. Birx served as Director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program and as Director of the Division of Retrovirology at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research from 1996 to 2005. Over the course of her work, Dr. Birx was able to bring together the Navy, Army, and Air Force in a new model of cooperation – increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. Military’s HIV/AIDS efforts through unprecedented inter- and intra-agency collaboration.

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