Coburn named to advisory council

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ Former U.S. Rep. Tom Coburn has been named to the President's Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS. <br><br>Coburn, 54, a family physician, said he will serve on a 35-member panel

Friday, March 8th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MUSKOGEE, Okla. (AP) _ Former U.S. Rep. Tom Coburn has been named to the President's Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS.

Coburn, 54, a family physician, said he will serve on a 35-member panel that includes 13 holdovers from the Clinton administration.

The Republican will attend council meetings in Washington two or three times a year.

Coburn served three two-year terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Keeping a pledge not to serve more than six years, he didn't seek re-election in 2000.

While a member of the House, Coburn pushed legislation through Congress that observers said brought about the most dramatic reform in the fight against AIDS and HIV infection in more than a decade.

The legislation placed the focus on HIV prevention and corrected what Coburn said were funding disparities among rural areas, women and minorities.