PrEP Community Clinic Co-Founders Receive 2019 Utah Public Health Champions Award
Congratulations to PrEP Community Clinic co-founders Dr. Adam Spivak, assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, and Dr. Susan Keeshin, assistant professor in the Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics! They have been selected as 2019 Public Health Champions by the Utah Department of Health (UDOH) for their outstanding contributions to public health, and the control and prevention of infectious diseases. They were nominated for this award by Ahmer Afroz, the Executive Director of the Utah AIDS Foundation and former UDOH employee.
The PrEP community clinic, located within U of U’s Redwood Health Center, fills a critical gap in responding to the HIV epidemic and the vision to achieve zero new HIV infections in Utah. PrEP, also known as Truvada, is a daily medication taken to prevent HIV, and is offered to patients without health insurance for free through the PrEP Community Clinic. Thanks to the efforts of Drs. Spivak and Keeshin, PrEP is now available to vulnerable populations who would not otherwise have access to HIV prevention resources.
On Thursday, September 12, Drs. Spivak and Keeshin were recognized alongside other 2019 Utah Public Health Champions at an awards ceremony at the UDOH. They received their award from Dr. Joseph Miner, Executive Director of the UDOH.