Hey everybody.
This week on Duke’s Download, I sit down with Dr. Demetre Daskalakis — infectious disease physician, longtime HIV activist, former CDC leader, and one of the most influential voices in LGBTQ public health.
We talk about his journey from early-1990s HIV activism at Columbia University to national leadership during the COVID-19 and mpox outbreaks — and what ultimately led him to leave the CDC and return to frontline care at Callen-Lorde in New York City.
Dr. D shares how teaching safer sex and organizing an AIDS Memorial Quilt display became his lifelong “North Star,” shaping his approach to HIV prevention, public health strategy, and community-based care.
We explore the evolution of HIV activism, the importance of U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable), the lessons learned from the 2022 mpox outbreak, and why humility is essential in infectious disease response.
This conversation is a powerful look at leadership, stigma, science, and the fight for LGBTQ health equity.
Dr. D is an exemplary example of a true LGBTQ leader.
If you care about HIV prevention, LGBTQ health equity, mpox vaccination, public health leadership, or the future of the CDC, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
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