Understanding Prevention for HIV Positive Gay Men: Innovative Approaches in Addressing the AIDS Epidemic

Leo Wilton, PhD, MPH, is Professor in the Department of Human Development in the College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA) at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He is affiliated with the Department of Africana Studies and Latin American and Caribbean Area Studies (LACAS) program at Binghamton University. Dr. Wilton is a Senior Research Associate in the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Johannesburg in Johannesburg, South Africa. His primary research interests include health disparities and inequities (primary and secondary HIV prevention); community based research and evaluation; and Black psychological development and mental health. Dr. Wilton's scholarly research on the AIDS epidemic focuses on the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality, as situated in macro- and -micro-level inequalities in Black communities, both nationally and internationally. The overall objective of his scholarly research program focuses on the impact of socio-structural/-cultural factors that influence sexual/drug-risk and protective behavior and mental health for Black men who have sex with men (MSM). A key emphasis is placed on understanding how these domains influence people's development and well-being within African and African Diasporic communities for same-gender practicing men, with specific implications for addressing social justice and human rights. His research examines socio-structural/-cultural factors that provide the basis for the development of culturally-congruent HIV prevention interventions for Black MSM.

Dr. Wilton was appointed to the NIH Director's Council of Public Representatives (COPR) for a four-year term. He was invited to the White House by the Office of National AIDS Policy as part of a select group of nationally recognized experts to participate in a research meeting that addressed the state of the AIDS epidemic among Black men in the US. He was a Regional Trainer for the HOPE program with the American Psychological Association. He is a lifetime member of the Association of Black Psychologists and Association for the Study of the Worldwide African Diaspora (ASWAD). He is a founding member and immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors of the Black Gay Research Group (BGRG), an international organization of Black gay men engaged in interdisciplinary and intersectional research in the fields of public health, psychology, African Diaspora studies, gender studies, and sexuality studies.