FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 15, 2019
Contact:
Leslie Champlin
American Academy of Family Physicians
913-906-6252
lchampli@aafp.org
LEAWOOD, Kan. — Ada Stewart, MD, practicing family physician and certified HIV specialist with the Eau Clair Cooperative Health, Columbia, South Carolina, and a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians Board of Directors, was sworn in today as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
As a member of the Council, Stewart will provide clinical, research and policy expertise to help develop recommendations on reducing the incidence of HIV infection, advancing HIV/AIDS research, improving health outcomes and ensuring people living with HIV have access to high-quality care, addressing HIV-related health disparities, and providing global leadership in responding to the HIV pandemic.
Stewart has been a leader in building knowledge and understanding about HIV/AIDS and in providing high-quality medical services to patients.
“Throughout her career, Dr. Stewart’s expertise, advocacy and outreach have been instrumental in building greater knowledge about HIV among both the medical community and members of the public,” said Michael Munger, MD, chair of the AAFP Board of Directors. “Her compassion for people living with HIV sets an example for everyone. We’re extremely fortunate that the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS will have the benefit of Dr. Stewart’s expertise.”
Before taking her Eau Claire Cooperative Health Centers position, she was chief medical officer and HIV specialist at the Richland Community Health Care Association in Eastover and Columbia, South Carolina. For more than 10 years, Stewart has cared for more than 500 HIV-positive patients in a Ryan White-Part C program. Recently, her clinic was awarded Ryan White-Part D funding to expand care to women, infants, children and youths.
Since 2010, she has been a member of the American Academy of HIV Medicine, where she served on the policy committee and the Southeast Steering Committee.
Stewart represented the AAFP on the National Advisory Board (HIV) for National Capacity Building Assistance Provider Network, which provides free training, technical assistance, and information on HIV to health departments, community-based organizations, and healthcare organizations. She served on the AAFP Commission of Health of the Public and Science and on the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Commission on Public Health.
In addition, Stewart has presented numerous continuing medical education accredited lectures titled “HIV in Primary Care” and on the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis, known as PrEP, for uninfected people who are at high risk for HIV exposure.
Before being elected to the AAFP Board of Directors, Stewart served on the AAFP Commission of Health of the Public and Science and the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians Commission on Public Health.
Stewart has been active in the fight against HIV/AIDS and other public health issues in her community and has been frequently honored for her contributions – most recently receiving an award for “Dedicated Service in Hepatitis C Treatment and Prevention”.
Stewart completed her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree at Ohio Northern University and earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio, Toledo. She completed her family medicine residency training at the Palmetto Richland Memorial Hospital, Columbia, South Carolina.
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About American Academy of Family Physicians
Founded in 1947, the American Academy of Family Physicians represents 134,600 physicians and medical students nationwide, and it is the only medical society devoted solely to primary care.
Family physicians conduct approximately one in five of the total medical office visits in the United States per year – more than any other specialty. Family physicians provide comprehensive, evidence-based, and cost-effective care dedicated to improving the health of patients, families and communities. Family medicine’s cornerstone is an ongoing and personal patient-physician relationship where the family physician serves as the hub of each patient’s integrated care team. More Americans depend on family physicians than on any other medical specialty.
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