Christopher joined ViiV Healthcare with a wealth of knowledge and experience in HIV care and treatment, along with a focus on systems management. Of note is his emphasis on providing outstanding, compassionate, and non-judgmental care to the most vulnerable populations affected by HIV, including the poor and marginalized indigent populations. In all his efforts, Christopher looks for a better way to do things, overlaying his HIV activities with a quality improvement approach whenever possible.
Current Role
As ViiV’s Regional Medical Director for the Western region, Christopher is responsible for educating and forming relationships with patients, healthcare providers, and organizations that interact directly with patients who are HIV positive. He seeks to understand their issues and applies his insights to assist ViiV in creating relevant strategies and materials. As a recognized HIV expert for ViiV, Christopher plays a key role in the planning, development, and delivery of educational campaigns and tools, and leads training for medical information and field staff to ensure they are up-to-date on new products and complex issues. He also supports ViiV-sponsored clinical research endeavors.
Experience
In addition to his role at ViiV, Christopher currently holds an academic appointment as Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, where he teaches and trains UCSF medical students and internal medicine residents in both general internal and HIV medicine. He also continues to practice as a volunteer clinician at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Tom Waddell Urban Health Center in San Francisco. An interest in information technology led Christopher to a steering committee appointment and selecting and overseeing the implementation of a new electronic medical record system in San Francisco’s Department of Public Health. He has been active in advocating for Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender health issues and for inclusion of LGBT medical needs in electronic medical record systems. Over the years, his quality improvement achievements include redesigning patient flow to minimize patient waiting times, Pharmaceuticals and Therapeutics committee initiatives, information technology improvements, and identifying ways to provide better care for indigent populations.
Education
Christopher received his MD in 2001 from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, after graduating with a BS degree from UCLA in cellular and molecular biology. He completed his Primary Care Internal Medicine Residency at the Alameda County Medical Center in Oakland, CA before joining the San Francisco Department of Public Health. For 12 years, he provided HIV primary care for the indigent patient population of San Francisco, first at the Tom Waddell Urban Health Center for the homeless, and, later, as Medical Director at its sister clinic, the Castro Mission Health Center.
Personal Interests
Christopher’s home is in San Francisco, where he continues to inspire others with his expert and compassionate care.
