The AmFAR Report

substance use, and emerging issues
such as immigration policy reform.
AmFAR has extended its involvement into many complex legal
debates and encourages government policies that protect people
with HIV/AIDS.
On September 14th, 1992, Jane
Silver, succeeding Anne HarrisonClark, became AmFAR's new
Director of Public Policy. Before
coming to AmFAR, she served as
Associate Director of Programs for
the National Commission on AIDS.
Prior to that, she headed the Office
of AIDS Activities of the D.C.
Department of Human Services.
She was alsO Special Assistant to the
Commissioner of Public Health in
Washington. Along with her
practical experience, she has a
Master's of Public Health from Yale
University's School of Epidemiology and Public Health. "We are
thrilled to have someone with
Jane's background, understanding
and commitment to AIDS," says
AmFAR president Dr. Mervyn
Silverman. "She brings a wealth of
experience and sense of compassion
that are so important as we move
forward in dealing with the epidemic."
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At NORA's press conference held in Washington in December, Jane Silver, AmFAR's Director of Public
Policy, made recommendations to the Clinton administration on what new biomedical research efforts the
new leaders must undertake to control the epidemic.

AmFAR's Public Policy Committee, comprised of members of
the Board of Directors, reviews all
issues and recommendations
dealing with public policy as they
affect the entire Foundation. The
committee, chaired by Dr. Harvey
Fineberg, Dean of Harvard's School
of Public Health, also advises
AmFAR on long-term public policy
positions. The committee is often
called upon to review urgent policy
matters, and to decide what the
Foundation's immediate response
will be.
Ms. Silver sees a particular
advantage to her position at AmFAR. "Having served in government, I know how it works. From
my experience, I am aware of how
people outside the government
view that bureaucracy. What I want
to do is present our strategy so that
we can move forward more quickly
and our plans can be put into
action. But whether it is working
inside the government or from the
outside, there are pressing public
health and pblicy issues that compel
us to move aggressively forward.
AIDS public policy can be
focused in three areas," Ms.'Silver
says. "They are leadership, structure and funding. With the incom
ing Clinton administration and the
103rd Congress, there will be many
new opportunities for AmFAR to
advise the new leaders. We must
create the structure which will
enable the programs to succeed. We
must identify the most effective
people in the government to
provide the required funding.
Without a larger, concentrated,
planned commitment, we will be
unable to stem the tide of the
epidemic.
Public Policy Grants
AmFAR offers financial support for
studies in the ethical, legal, economic and socio-political aspects of
AIDS-related policy making that are
selected for funding by its Public
Policy Advisory Committee. The
committee is composed of volunteer
experts in various pertinent disciplines. It reviews and evaluates
grant requests and makes its
recommendations for funding to
AmFAR's Board of Directors. In the
first eighteen months of the public
policy grants program, AmFAR
awarded fifteen public policy grants
totaling $295,621.
Among the projects funded by
AmFAR is the study of a particu