Hello Everyone,

I would like to take a moment of your time as the membership chair of the HIV/AIDS Section to encourage you to renew your Section membership and entice others to join by extolling these virtues of membership in our Section.  First, it is important to be a member of our Section because we are the only section in APHA that is devoted to HIV/AIDS.  It is important for our Section to be large given the status of HIV/AIDS as a pandemic.  Currently we are one of the larger topical sections in APHA, and it is critical that we maintain a large membership to ensure that HIV/AIDS remains on the “radar” of the organization.  Second, given the diverse background and expertise in our current membership and the current make up of our Governing Council, we have our pulse on a myriad of activities related to HIV/AIDS.  From HIV/AIDS related research literature, funding opportunities, post-doctoral positions, full time employment opportunities (governmental, private and academic) and HIV/AIDS scholarships and fellowships, we plan on making members aware of all of these opportunities.  Third, the Section leadership is currently working on ways to engage our membership using new media (Internet, e-mail, social networking Web sites and Web-based video) to keep members abreast of Section activities and other pertinent HIV/AIDS related information.  Specifically we are updating the Section’s e-communities Web site within the APHA Web site, creating a Facebook page for the Section, creating a Twitter account and will begin actively using our member e-mail listserv to disseminate information.  All of these efforts are designed to better facilitate engagement between other members and Section leadership and to provide information for our members.  We would like to make the Section better, but we need your input to do so.  Finally, I encourage you to renew and to recruit other potential members so that you can be part of the many exciting initiatives that we plan to initiate in the next year and into the future.  I hope you decide to renew or join and encourage others to do the same because we desperately need you in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  Thank you for your time.

-Leigh Willis, Membership Chair, HIV/AIDS Section.