Brian Wispelwey, MD (Left), and Greg Townsend, MD
UVA’s Infectious Diseases Ryan White Center was one of five Ryan White clinics recognized for excellence by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during its 25th-anniversary highlight of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program several years ago (watch the video). The center has a list of accolades and a patient viral suppression rate that exceeds state and national goals. But the people working at the UVA Ryan White Center make it reach beyond the ordinary.
Two doctors, Brian Wispelwey, MD, and Greg Townsend, MD, have been with the clinic since the beginning. They witnessed the early, devastating days of the disease when there were few treatments and no hope. Through the development of AZT (zidovudine) and other highly effective antiretroviral therapies, HIV is now a treatable disease, and patients live with it rather than die from it.
The Ryan White Center has an entire team dedicated not only to good medicine but also to the collective purpose of improving the lives of their patients. Their compassion and consistent ability to ensure patients have what they need, including transportation, food, and housing, sets the clinic apart. Through four decades, the Center’s work has made all the difference in the lives of thousands of patients and their families from all over Virginia and beyond.
Read more on the Department of Medicine’s website.