Professor Peter Piot, Director of the Institute for Global Health at Imperial College, is joining the Board of Trustees at Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) this month.

Professor Piot was the former Executive Director of UNAIDS and Under Secretary-General of the United Nations. He comes from a distinguished academic and scientific background focusing on AIDS and women’s health in the developing world. In the 1980s he launched a series of research projects in Africa. Project SIDA in Zaire, was the first international project on AIDS in Africa and is widely acknowledged as having provided the foundations of our understanding of HIV infection in the continent.

Born in Belgium, Professor Piot is fluent in three languages and is the author of 16 books and more than 500 scientific articles. He has received numerous awards for scientific and societal achievement, and was knighted as a Baron by King Albert II of Belgium in 1995.

Sir Nick Partridge, Chief Executive at THT said “We’re delighted that Professor Piot is joining our Board of Trustees. He brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise and is very well respected in the HIV sector worldwide.   Professor Piot will further strengthen the board to help lead Terrence Higgins Trust in the coming years.”

Professor Piot said “I am thrilled to be able to support Terrence Higgins Trust in this way.  More people are living with HIV in the UK than ever before and rates of many sexually transmitted infections are rising.  Community organisations like THT play a vital role offering testing, information and support to those affected.” 

THT’s Board of Trustees are responsible for setting the overall strategy and direction of the charity, and for ensuring THT uses its resources effectively in pursuit of its mission statement. There are ten members of the Board, including Professor Piot.

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