Stephen Karpiak, PhD (1947-2021) | Pioneering HIV and Aging Specialist

[Bucklandbury]

I read about this man and noted how much he had done to advance the study of aging and living well older in those with HIV. His contributions will be sorely missed.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/07/health/dr-stephen-karpiak-dead.html

https://www.poz.com/article/rip-stephen-karpiak-phd-pioneering-hiv-aging-specialist

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I love this section. It shows how everyone was young once. ;-) And how Stephen was galvanized by AIDS in the '80s and by his own personal loss.

In his 30s, Dr. Karpiak lived in the West Village and was immersed in the city’s gay nightlife. He partied until dawn at clubs like The Saint [https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/the-saint/] and the leather bar Ramrod [https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/ramrod/], and he fell in love with a schoolteacher, who became his partner. When the AIDS crisis began, he started receiving messages on his answering machine from friends desperately seeking his medical advice. He also began attending funerals constantly.

“Losing all those people was never far from his mind,” said his brother, who is his only immediate survivor. “And it tied deeply into his personal life. He lost his lover, who was his soul mate.”

His partner’s death stirred something in him.

“When he finally saw those who survived, he saw they weren’t surviving well,” he added. “So Stephen thought, ‘How can I do something about this?’ He couldn’t do anything when it was happening in the 1980s, but then he got his chance.”