Harper Tapped for Public Health Story

Newsday interviewed Brian Harper, M.D., chief medical officer and vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion, about the rising cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in medically underserved Long Island communities. Harper, who previously served as a Suffolk County health commissioner and director of the Bureau of HIV Services for Nassau County’s Department of Health, advised officials and providers to replicate the public outreach model conducted during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which targeted community leaders and gathering places.

“You go out and physically speak to people,” he said, recalling one conference he arranged for barbers and beauticians. “We did condom demonstrations. We walked them through the process of how the virus was being transmitted.”