John is Senior Program Manager- Policy at AVAC where he manages the organization’s federal and governmental policy and advocacy efforts. In this role, John co-leads the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership Research Working Group, represents AVAC and leads efforts to advocate for a National PrEP Program, advocates for increased funding for HIV research institutions like the National Institutes of Health. Since joining AVAC, John has successfully advocated for the increase in HIV research funding for the NIH Office of AIDS research, co-organized the PrEP in Black America Summit in Atlanta and New Orleans and co-authored “For Us By Us: Master Plan for HIV Prevention in Black America.
Prior to joining AVAC, John was Health Program Coordinator at the New York State Department of Health where he co-led the Health Equity Initiative Steering Committee, conducted over 20 virtual listening sessions across the state of New York, and coordinated the Governor-mandated Ending the Epidemic Subcommittee of the NYS AIDS Advisory Council.
John joined AVAC in 2021, bringing 10 years of experience advocating for HIV prevention access for key populations both domestically and globally. John holds a BA in Cell and Molecular Biology from Connecticut College and a Master’s degree in Public Health with a concentration in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Population Studies from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.