Office of AIDS Research Director Appointed

On February 17, the U.S. National Institutes of Health
announced the appointment of William Paul, M.D., as director
of the new Office of AIDS Research (OAR) at NIH. Dr. Paul, an
immunologist, has been chief of the Laboratory of Immunology
at the U.S. Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
(NIAID, part of NIH) since 1970. He is an expert in
cytokines, and has authored over 400 scientific papers.

The OAR's responsibilities will include setting directions
for the entire AIDS research effort at NIH, and allocating
funds to the different components of NIH, according to a
comprehensive strategic plan. Also, the OAR will establish
coordinating groups for: natural history and epidemiology;
etiology and pathogenesis; therapeutics; vaccines; and
behavioral research. Dr. Paul will also administer a
discretionary fund to take advantage of unanticipated
scientific opportunities as they occur, and will oversee a
new national advisory council on AIDS research.

The Treatment Action Group (TAG), the activist organization
which has been heavily involved in AIDS research reform,
welcomed Dr. Paul's appointment, and the increasing emphasis
on immunology in AIDS treatment research.