Background on Dr. Marcus A. Conant
2012 UC Berkeley Public Health Hero
AIDS treatment pioneer
Dr. Marcus A. Conant is one of the first physicians to diagnose and treat Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). He identified the first cluster of patients with Kaposi’s sarcoma, a now well-recognized symptom of AIDS. Dr. Conant recognized the pattern of AIDS transmission among gay men in San Francisco and initiated some of the first steps to control the growing epidemic. In 1981, he founded a Kaposi’s sarcoma clinic, one of the nation’s first specialized AIDS practices.
Patient and community educator
While at UCSF, he would meet with patients in the waiting room of his office each week to discuss generic patient issues related to HIV infection, including diagnosis, disease progression, treatment, and research. These meetings became so popular that they were moved to the auditorium at the University of California, and were conducted on a monthly basis for ten years. These were open-invitation meetings for the benefit of the entire community, and the number of people attending these meeting ranged from 250-1500, depending on the news in the press at the time. The Conant Foundation was established in 1993 to support the ever-expanding size and scope of these meetings.
As other community groups began providing comprehensive information to patients, the Conant Foundation shifted its focus. The introduction of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and the utilization of multiple international forums for the presentation of disease-management research presented a challenge to patients and caregivers who desired the most up-to-date information on HIV disease management. The Conant Foundation began reviewing international AIDS meetings and reporting back to the community on the international research results and consensus on how the major challenges of HIV disease management should be addressed.
Outspoken advocate for people with HIV and AIDS
In 1999, Dr. Conant was invited to speak to the Nevada legislature and was instrumental in helping that state to develop an AIDS-response plan for indigent patients. That same year, Mayor Willie Brown of San Francisco invited Dr. Conant to co-chair the Mayor’s Summit on AIDS, which examined the appropriate response to the numerous social and economic problems created in the San Francisco community by the AIDS epidemic.
In 2001, the Foundation worked with Senator John Vasconcellos to initiate the idea that the state of California would buy an AIDS vaccine for all covered patients as soon as a product is approved by the FDA. This initiative was subsequently approved by both the assembly and the senate of the state of California and signed by the governor. This essential legislation created the financial carrot to drive venture capitalists to invest in the development of an AIDS vaccine.
Recognition and awards
Dr. Conant has received numerous awards, including the Bay Area Physicians for Human Rights Annual Award for Outstanding Medical Service (1983), the UCSF Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Public Service (1987), the San Francisco AIDS Foundation Leadership Award, (1991), the Billy Krause Leadership Award from the Harvey Milk Lesbian & Gay Democratic Club (1991), and the Practitioner of the Year Award from the American Academy of Dermatology (1996).
