My colleagues at the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy and across the Department of Health and Human Services want to honor Doug’s many contributions over a distinguished career—much of which was dedicated to implementing, fine-tuning, and ensuring the integrity of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (NASTAD), and provided leadership to the growing organization as Chair from 1996-1997. “As Doug moved from Trenton, New Jersey, to Rockville, Maryland, he never forgot what it was like working within state government to develop comprehensive systems of prevention, care and support for people living with HIV/AIDS,” noted Ms. Julie Scofield, Executive Director of NASTAD. “He remained a true collaborator, working with colleagues across the country to solve problems and run better programs. He was highly respected and will be greatly missed.”
We offer our sincere condolences to Doug’s wife, Ms. Valerie Rochester, and their children, and to our colleagues at the HIV/AIDS Bureau and the Healthcare Systems Bureau as well as the many grantees and other partners who worked with Doug over his many years of service.
As my colleague Mr. Christopher Bates, Executive Director of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) observed, “Doug leaves a lasting legacy to the HIV/AIDS field, evident in the Ryan White programs that provide HIV-related services to more than half a million people each year in communities across the country.”