Marcus A. Conant, MD

Marcus A. Conant, MD is a physician who treated thousands of HIV patients in the early 80s while running the inpatient dermatology service at the University of California San Francisco. Before anyone recognized the virus or understood that it was about to become a global epidemic, he took the lead in forming the Kaposi’s Sarcoma Research & Education Foundation in 1982, which later became the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Marcus conducted early clinical trials, persevering despite seeing 94% of patients die during the epidemic’s first years. His clinical experience sensitized him to the suffering caused by the disease. As a physician with a holistic perspective, his work expanded beyond the strictly clinical, to include education, research, and advocacy.

Marcus is currently a clinical professor emeritus at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco. He has published more than 70 articles on the treatment of AIDS, testified in front of Congress multiple times, and is a powerful advocate for the LGBTQ community.