David Malebranche, MD, MPH is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician and public health advocate who specializes in men’s health, correctional health, student health, racial inequities in medicine, and LGBT health, as well as HIV and STI prevention and treatment. Dr. Malebranche is currently Senior Director of Medical Affairs at Gilead. His videos in this series are provided in his capacity as a medical expert.

Ask Me Anything About Sexual Health: For Healthcare Providers is a video series that covers HIV and STI testing as part of routine healthcare, HIV stigma, PrEP, U=U and having open conversations with patients about sexual health.

This video is a joint production of KFF’s GREATER THAN HIV and CDC’s LET’S STOP HIV TOGETHER. This information is shared for educational purposes and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. The views expressed are those of the featured medical professional and reflect information available to that professional at the time of filming. Always consult a healthcare provider for any personal health decisions.

The marks “CDC” and “Let’s Stop HIV Together” are owned by the US Dept. of Health and Human Services and are used with permission. Use of these logos is not an endorsement by HHS or CDC of any particular product, service, or enterprise.

TRANSCRIPT:

I think we've gotten to a point where our science is so dope, our science is so good. We have medication, and the science is gonna keep getting better. But, I don't think we're gonna get anywhere if we still have that stigma attached.

So, someone who's living with HIV starts to feel that they're lesser than because of the messages they're getting from society.

“You're dirty, you're not clean.” They don't have to say that anymore. It's become internalized in us here that we carry those messages with us.
So, I think there's a lot of work that we need to do. I speak to my medical colleagues and say, “Hey look, we need to make places open and safe spaces for the people that we're serving.” And it's important, at least from my perspective as a physician and a public health official, to encourage us to do that.