Sandra Thurman is known for her work on AIDS as the first director of the Office of National AIDS Policy serving in

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

's administration. As of 2023 she is the senior advisor to the Division of Global HIV and Tuberculosis at the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...

and Chief Strategy Officer at the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and Global Health Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State. She is also a Professor of Practice at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Early life and education

Thurman is an only child. Her father worked in clothing manufacturing and her mother, Marge Thurman, was the chair of the Georgia Democratic Party. Thurman earned her undergraduate degree from

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

in Atlanta, Georgia. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Community Pastoral Care and HIV/AIDS from St. Paul’s University in Limuru, Kenya.

Career

Thurman began her association with AID Atlanta by fundraising, and by 1989 was the organization's executive director. She would work at AID Atlanta for ten years before taking the position as the first director of the Office of National AIDS Policy in the Clinton administration. While in this position Thurman indicated her priority was to make AIDS a priority in the Clinton administration. Thurman also worked on Bill Clinton's presidential campaigns in 1992 and 1996. In 2008 Thurman accepted a position at Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.

Selected publications

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thurman, Sandra Living people Mercer University alumni HIV/AIDS activists St. Paul's University, Limuru alumni Clinton administration personnel Year of birth missing (living people)