How much progress has the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) made in combating the global HIV/AIDS crisis since it first began disbursing $15 billion in funds to hard-hit countries? When Congress passed legislation creating PEPFAR, members called on the Institute of Medicine to conduct a progress evaluation partway through the five-year initiative. PEPFAR IMPLEMENTATION: PROGRESS AND PROMISE, a new IOM report, reviews activities the program has supported and evaluates gains made against the AIDS pandemic. It outlines ways to build on those advances and to overcome obstacles that have hindered faster, smoother progress. The report will be released at a one-hour public briefing.

BRIEFING DETAILS:

11 a.m. EDT on Friday, March 30, in the auditorium of the National Academies' building, 2100 C St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Those who cannot attend may listen to a live audio webcast and submit questions using an e-mail form at http://national-academies.org.

PARTICIPATING FROM THE COMMITTEE THAT WROTE THE REPORT:

• JAIME SEPULVEDA AMOR (chair), Presidential Chair and visiting professor, Global Health Sciences and School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco
• AFFETTE MCCAW-BINNS, professor and reproductive health epidemiologist, Section of Community Health, University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica
• CHARLES CARPENTER, professor of medicine and director, AIDS Center, Brown University, Providence, R.I.

REPORTERS: OBTAIN COPIES OR REGISTER TO ATTEND by contacting the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information at tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu. Advance copies of the report will be available to reporters only beginning at noon EDT on Wednesday, March 28.

THE REPORT IS EMBARGOED AND NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 11 A.M. EDT ON MARCH 30.