Paulo R. Texeira

Paulo R. Teixeira is the Director of the National AIDS Programme of the Ministry of Health of Brazil. A dermatologist by training with specializations in public health and the epidemiology of AIDS, Dr. Teixeira is one of the pioneers in the fight against AIDS epidemic in Brazil. He has gained worldwide acclaim for vigorously defending the free and universal distribution of AIDS drugs as part of the Brazilian Programme, which can be maintained thanks to the local manufacturing of generic medicines. These policies are now regarded as essential for the Brazilian population and supported by a large number of civil society organizations, governments, as well as multilateral bodies such as UNAIDS, WHO, and WTO. In 1983 Dr. Teixeira created the first State AIDS Program in São Paulo. At that date, there were just 04 AIDS cases known in Brazil. As deputy director of the National AIDS Programme he participated in the development and implementation of the AIDS I Project with the World Bank. Dr. Teixeira has served as Senior Consultant to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) for Latin America and the Caribbean. This included strategic planning and the development of support for theme groups with activities in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Columbia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Guatemala, and Switzerland. IPreviously Dr. Teixeira has served as special advisor to the AIDS Programme of the State of São Paulo. Prior to that he served as Technical Director of the Division of Leprosy and Sanitary Dermatology at the São Paulo State Health Department. Dr. Teixeira holds an M.D. from the School of Medicine of São Paulo State University.