PATH names former White House advisor Grant Colfax as leader of its HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Program

January 14, 2014 by PATH

Infectious diseases
Former Obama administration public health expert and leading clinical scientist will oversee program and advise PATH's translational science policy

Contact:
Amy MacIver, 206.302.4522, amaciver@path.org.

Seattle, January 14, 2014–PATH has named Dr. Grant Colfax, MD, to lead its HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Program. In this critical position, he will direct PATH's HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) portfolio and collaborate with HIV-related projects and opportunities across the organization. In addition, Colfax will serve in a new position as special advisor for translational science policy, reporting directly to Steve Davis, PATH's president and CEO.

PATH's HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis Program uses innovative approaches to integrate health services to prevent, diagnose, and treat HIV/AIDS and TB. As program leader, Colfax will be responsible for overseeing PATH's strategy and relationships in this area; in guiding PATH's work on HIV/AIDS and TB projects that spans countries in Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia; and in advising on PATH's broader work in translational health policy. He will begin January 24, 2013 and will be based in PATH's South San Francisco office.

"Dr. Colfax brings an impressive background in public health policy combined with hands-on experience in creating innovative solutions to address major health challenges," said Jacqueline Sherris, vice president of Public Health Impact at PATH. "His leadership will help drive and integrate PATH's HIV/AIDS and TB work to achieve greater impact where public health needs are greatest."

Most recently, Colfax served as director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) and principal advisor to President Obama on domestic HIV/AIDS policy. ONAP is a component of the White House Domestic Policy Council and coordinates federal efforts to implement the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, with the goals of reducing new HIV infections, improving HIV health outcomes, and reducing HIV-related health disparities. In his role with ONAP, Colfax also coordinated with the National Security Council and the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, and worked with international bodies on HIV/AIDS issues. He has taken the lead on initiatives aimed at making federal HIV/AIDS domestic programs more innovative, data-driven, and outcome based.

"The opportunity for PATH to play a bigger role in advancing social and technology innovation in the global fight against HIV/AIDS and TB has never been better," remarked Steve Davis, "and Dr. Colfax's insights and leadership will be a great asset for both our organization and the global health community."

Prior to directing ONAP, Colfax held several positions at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, most recently as director of HIV Prevention and Research where he led a diverse research and clinical team to plan and implement community-driven, evidence-based, and sustainable programming. Under his leadership, San Francisco greatly expanded HIV testing and treatment support. Colfax designed, obtained funding for, and implemented a range of clinical research evaluating HIV testing strategies, medications to treat substance dependence, and biomedical HIV prevention interventions. He also maintained a role as a practicing clinician with the Positive Health Program, San Francisco's premier public HIV clinic.

Colfax is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and completed his medical residency at the University of California, San Francisco. He has served as an investigator or in an advisory capacity to numerous HIV research and policy efforts, including the HIV Prevention Trials Network, and was an affiliate faculty member at University of California, San Francisco. Colfax has authored over 75 peer-reviewed papers on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and has a deep commitment to bringing evidence-based innovations to reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS worldwide.