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Reflections on World AIDS Day with Michael Horberg, MD

World AIDS Day is Dec. 1; this year’s theme is ‘Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation’

Michael Horberg, MD, is Kaiser Permanente’s national director for HIV/AIDS. Appointed to Obama’s Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS in 2010, Dr. Horberg hopes to make Kaiser Permanente’s best practices a part of national policy. Practicing at Michael Reese and Northwestern Memorial hospitals in the Chicago area for 10 years before coming to California, he has spent most of his medical career in the fight against the disease. He also is chair of the board of directors of the HIV Medicine Association, an organization of 5,000 HIV clinicians in the U.S. and abroad.  We caught up with him recently about his work in this field.

CTH Blog:
You’ve been committed to the fight against AIDS/HIV for three decades. What has this journey been like for you?

Michael Horberg, MD:
Professionally, the journey has been extraordinarily rewarding. It has led to a career in advanced HIV care, research and advocacy, with leadership in the HIV Medicine Association, as well as previously the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. I know I’m a better doctor because of my work in HIV — the continuing education, learning new research and new medications/treatments daily, and the phenomenal collaborations with my Kaiser Permanente colleagues.

On a personal level, the last three decades have also been quite a journey. In the early 1980s, when the first patients infected by the HIV virus were being treated, I was in my third year of medical school. I knew I was gay, but I wasn’t ready for anyone else to know that. It was the fear of rejection, the fear of being ostracized, even in the medical community, of not being able to attract any patients. Ironically, the onset of the AIDS crisis is what finally helped to liberate me. As patients with HIV symptoms, including some of my close friends, began coming to me in private practice, I realized stepping out of the closet would help them get the care they needed and allow me to be a more powerful advocate for specialized care. Furthermore, being able to help my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters fulfilled my desire to meld technical skill with compassion. Especially early in the crisis when there was a limit for what we could do for patients, really caring, really showing love was critical.

CTH Blog:
What continues to motivate you in the fight against HIV/AIDS?

MH:
It’s been more than three decades since AIDS was first reported and the statistics of the epidemic still continue to haunt me. Every day, more than 150 people in the United States become infected with HIV. That adds up to between 50,000 and 56,000 people a year – just in the United States. And racial and ethnic minorities in gay and bisexual men are disproportionately impacted by this epidemic. About half of the nation’s HIV population is African-American – yet African-Americans have a 15 percent greater chance of dying from HIV than white Americans. This is a disease of disparities.

Until we no longer have an epidemic, I will continue to be motivated.

CTH Blog:
At the International AIDS Conference Washington D.C this summer, of which Kaiser Permanente was a key sponsor, there was a lot of discussion about an AIDS-free generation. Do you think that’s possible?

MH:
Yes, there is great hope. It can be achievable, but it requires resources, increased research, and increased access to quality HIV care for all living with HIV. I am proud to support the concept of an AIDS-free generation and working towards that goal. As a leader in HIV treatment, what we are doing at Kaiser Permanente and the tools and research we can share with the world, it’s entirely possible.

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