Blanton S. Tolbert, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry, has accepted an appointment invitation to become a permanent member of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council (OARAC). The council can advise on the direction of funding as it relates to AIDS research at the NIH.
OARAC provides advice to the Office of AIDS Research (OAR) director on the planning, coordination, and evaluation of research and other HIV/AIDS activities conducted or supported by the NIH. The OARAC also advises the secretary of health and human services, the assistant secretary for health, the director of NIH, and the director of OAR on HIV/AIDS research programs and the development and annual review of the comprehensive NIH Strategic Plan for HIV and HIV-Related Research. As a Federal Advisory Committee, OARAC operates according to a charter.