Contact the Office on AIDS

The Office on AIDS staff is part of the APA Public Interest Directorate, and responds to questions about HIV/AIDS received from APA members, other mental health researchers and practitioners and the media. Staff routinely provide information, training and technical assistance in the areas of:

• Behavioral research

• Mental health services

• Ethics

• Networking

• Resources pertaining to HIV/AIDS

The staff networks with experts in the field through APA divisions and governance committees, state and territorial psychological associations, federal agencies and other national organizations responding to HIV/AIDS.

• David J. Martin, PhD, ABPP
  Senior Director, Office on AIDS
  David J. Martin, PhD, ABPP, is a clinical psychologist who joins the APA Office on AIDS from the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he served as a professor in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences (Medical Psychology), director of HIV Mental Health Services, and chief psychologist and director of training in the Psychology Division at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. He received his bachelor of science from the University of Washington, and his PhD from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Martin completed internship and post-doctoral training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, and he is licensed as a psychologist in California.
  
  Martin’s responsibilities as director of the HIV Mental Health Program at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center included coordinating care with primary-care providers, oversight of mental health and psychiatric services for people with HIV/AIDS, supervision of post-doctoral fellows and field-placement students in their clinical service provision, and evaluation and follow-up clinical work with persons with HIV. During his work in this capacity, he worked with community and governmental assistance and legal agencies; he assisted in the creation of certain Los Angeles County procedural responses to high-risk sexual behavior among persons with HIV, and in the development of standards of care for mental health and health service delivery for people with HIV.
  
  In his capacity as chief psychologist and director of training in the Psychology Division, Martin was responsible for oversight of the administration of a division of 14 psychologists and for organization of training activities for eight to 10 post-doctoral fellows in an APA-accredited psychology post-doctoral fellowship program and coordination of field-placement student activities for 28-37 students across 11 different service programs.
  
  Martin’s research projects have included employment issues for persons with HIV, neuropsychological evaluation of persons with HIV disease, HIV treatment adherence and high-risk sexual behavior, and clinical supervision. He has published and presented in the areas of depression, HIV (risk reduction, mental health and community need), ethics (treatment of gay men and lesbians, HIV-infected populations, work in managed care) and supervision and training.
  
  Martin has had affiliations with several governmental and community-based organizations, including the Long Beach HIV CARE Comprehensive Planning Group, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services HIV Commission, the State of California Department of Health Services HIV Comprehensive Care Working Group, and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health HIV Mental Health Program. From 1991-93, he chaired the Mayor’s HIV/AIDS Task Force for the city of Long Beach, Calif. In 2002, Martin served on the Los Angeles County HIV Health Services Membership Task Force to make recommendations concerning restructuring the commission and the Prevention Planning Group.
  
  Martin is a long-term advocate for HIV/AIDS and mental health. He is a member of a several professional organizations, including the American Psychological Association (Divisions 8, 12, 38, 40, 44, 45), the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the California Psychological Association (Divisions I, II [Board of Directors], IV, VII) and the American Public Health Association. He is a grandfathered fellow in the Academy of Cognitive Therapy.
  
  Martin served on the Ad Hoc Committee on Psychology and AIDS, as a mentor for the Cyber Mentors Program and as a consultant to the HIV Office on Psychology and Education Program as well as working with the Behavioral and Social Science Volunteer Program..

• Cherie D. Mitchell, MHS
  Manager, Office on AIDS 
  Cherie Mitchell, Manager, APA's Office on AIDS, has over 20 years of experience in management, evaluation, research, training, and technical assistance with an emphasis on policy, health disparities, diversity, substance abuse, and service delivery. Her expertise includes strategic planning, operations, program design, capacity building, and meeting management. Mitchell has served in a senior management capacity at consulting firms, such as The Lewin Group, managing and directing multi-year contracts with the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, The California Endowment, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAT), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which included programs such as the National Medicare Education Program and the National Evaluation Data and Technical Assistance Center. During her tenure at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), she worked in the Office of Planning and Evaluation on substance abuse policy and legislation. Mitchell received her Masters of Health Science in health policy from The Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health and her Bachelor of Arts in sociology from Yale.   

• Edna Davis-Brown, MPH
  Director, Behavioral and Social Science Volunteer (BSSV) Program
  Edna comes to APA with more than 15 years experience in project management, development/implementation and evaluation with particular focus on research, publications and communications, logistical and administrative support, cultural diversity, and training and technical assistance. Her most recent background includes work with Maryland-based consulting firms focusing on projects funded by federal agencies such the Center Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), Administration on Aging (AoA) to name a few. Most recently she provided consultation and support to the University of Maryland-School of Medicine's Statewide Health Network addressing tobacco-related cancer education and prevention initiatives in Southern Maryland. She also proudly serves as President of Gregory B. Davis Foundation (GBDF), a small family foundation formed in honor of her youngest sibling who died of AIDS in 2000.

• David P. DeVito, MPA
  Training Director, HIV Office for Psychology Education (HOPE) Program
  As the Director of the HOPE Program, David is responsible for the recruitment, retention, training, and coordination of mental health professionals who provide HIV/AIDS education and care training events to improve mental health outcomes for people living with HIV. David has more than 20 years nonprofit management and administration experience from myriad staff positions at national membership organizations, including the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Genealogical Society, National Council of Nonprofits, and American Psychological Association. DeVito served as the HOPE Program Administrative Coordinator from 2002-2006. He received his Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and his Master of Public Administration with a concentration in nonprofit management from The George Washington University.

• Sharon Asonganyi, MPH
  BSSV Capacity Building Assistance Coordinator
  Sharon Asonganyi is the new CBA Coordinator for the BSSV Program. Her interest in the HIV/AIDS field was kindled during her travels and involvement in HIV response efforts at rural clinics in her native country of Cameroon. Sharon obtained dual concentration BA degrees in Biology and Psychology at Boston University. She subsequently pursued an MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences, focusing on HIV/AIDS in adolescents. During her graduate studies, Sharon co-developed a pilot intervention study at Boston Children's Hospital on utilizing technology to promote treatment adherence in adolescent clients. She has experience conducting HIV Counseling and Testing through outreach at youth homeless centers and college campuses. Sharon joins the BSSV Program from Boston, MA where she worked in the Boston Public Health Commission's Ryan White Part A HIV Health Services Planning Council and Quality Management units. Motivated by a drive to serve communities develop quality and effective service delivery infrastructures, she is excited to be a part of the American Psychological Association and the BSSV team. 

• Danielle Pope, BS
  Administrative Coordinator, BSSV Program
  Danielle Pope, a native of West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 25 years, moved to Washington, D.C. in 1989 as a result of a job offer to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the Identification Division. After her 7 year tenure with the FBI, Danielle began working as a temporary employee for the Office on AIDS in 1998. She has since then become a permanent employee of APA and works as the Administrative Coordinator for the Behavioral and Social Science Volunteer (BSSV) Program where she keeps track of more than 200 volunteers to ensure that they remain connected with the Program.