Associate Professor
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Florida
Hansel Tookes, MD, MPH, is Associate Professor of Medicine at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. After completing his residency in Internal Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital, he founded IDEA Lab whose mission is to implement, disseminate, educate, and advocate for the health of people who use drugs. The IDEA Lab also houses the IDEA syringe services program – the first of its kind in Florida. Dr. Tookes spent five years lobbying the Florida Legislature for the creation of the program as an evidence-based HIV prevention intervention. In 2016, he succeeded and the pilot was signed into law. Today, Dr. Tookes serves as medical director of IDEA and successfully passed Infectious Disease Elimination Act of 2019 authorizing statewide expansion of syringe services programs. As a physician at Jackson Memorial, one of the largest public hospitals in the nation, Dr. Tookes attends on the HIV service. He is an advocate for health equity and has extensive experience working with both patients of low socioeconomic status and individuals who use drugs. Dr. Tookes’ research interests include structural and systemic interventions and innovative approaches to HIV prevention and treatment. He is a 2021 recipient of a $2.5M NIDA Avenir Award which will test his innovative Tele-Harm Reduction model in a randomized controlled trial and, more recently, 2 NIDA R01s. He has received numerous honors, including Miami Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Hero, Starbucks Upstander, and SAVE Champion of Equality. In 2023, he was appointed to the board of the HIV Medical Association and the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
Opening General Session - Broadening Perspectives to Narrow the Treatment Gap
Friday, April 5, 2024
8:30 AM – 9:45 AM
