Blossom Damania, PhD, co-director of the UNC Lineberger Global Oncology Program and the UNC Lineberger Virology Program, vice dean of research for the UNC School of Medicine, and the Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor of Microbiology & Immunology, has been named chair of the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Advisors ad Hoc Subcommittee on HIV and AIDS Malignancy.

The mission of the subcommittee is to advise the NCI Board of Scientific Advisors, the NCI director and the NCI Office of HIV and AIDS Malignancy on NCI's research portfolio in AIDS and HIV-associated malignancies. The subcommittee serves as a national scientific forum to identify research opportunities and to provide recommendations on research priorities, resource needs, and how best to address them across the range of issues in HIV/AIDS, HIV-associated malignancies.

The NCI has a substantial portfolio of HIV/AIDS related research that encompasses both domestic and global projects and includes research in basic science, epidemiology, prevention, and treatment. Cancer is the most frequent cause of death in HIV-Infected patients in the United States and globally. Additionally, since HIV-associated cancers are a key problem in sub-Saharan Africa and other resource-limited regions, an ongoing consideration is how best to prevent and treat these cancers as part of our focus on global health. The subcommittee will provide advice on NCI’s HIV and AIDS malignancy research efforts to ensure that the best science is supported.