The Passing of Dr Stephen Karpiak
A true HIV pioneer and a treasured friend.
12/03/2101 Update: A celebration of the monumental life of Dr. Stephen Karpiak is scheduled for Sunday, November 21, 2021, 1–2:30 PM EST/11:00 AM–12:30 PM PST.
Join Zoom Memorial:
Meeting ID: 487 549 0439
Passcode: 4501240
I still can’t comprehend Steve is gone. But what a legacy he left and I know he wants all of us to continue to lift up Older Adults with HIV and Long-Term Survivors. He was very direct that no one was going to speak up for us. It is up to us to be the change we want to see.
Watch this video by Steve. This is him at his best. No one gave talks like Steve. Steve has to be seen in action. There was no one else like him. He presented info with humor and quiet authority.
A big part of the legacy Steve leaves behind is this amazing resource for Aging with HIV aginghiv.org
Here is a nice piece about the irreplaceable Steve in POZ Magazine:
He wrote for Positively Aware, “We live in a society where youth receive the highest premium. Aging is seen as a disease rather than an inevitable process of living.” How have you seen this mindset applied to older adults with HIV? Do you feel that we are doing enough from an advocacy, resource, and research perspective to address the needs and improve the health of older adults with HIV?
The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that we are an ageist society. People who are older are seen as disposable. We hear misinformation constantly: “this virus only affects old people,” so most people, “don’t need to worry about it so much.” This is ageism. We don’t need the government or anyone else chiming in to say that compared to a child, an older adult is disposable. It demonstrates no respect for life. It’s a huge barrier to overcome, and it’s not going to be easy. It will require years of work, although talking about ageism helps a great deal.
I am an eternal optimist, but I’m also a realist. We are still in the beginning stages of the pandemic. We do not know what the economic conditions are going to be post-pandemic, or even during it. Agencies are talking about caregiving in a structured way. Will they have the funds to continue to do so, or will all funds flow to clinical services only? This is particularly true of AIDS Service Organizations (ASO), who rely upon foundation and government funding to sustain supportive services that are critical for health. We simply do not know where that money is going to come from. Donors are always there, but they are burnt out. And convincing them to give money for something like taking care of older folks is an even greater challenge in a society that devalues the older adult.
In terms of practicality, what do we need? We need to sustain funding to those agencies like GMHC, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, and other ASOs that need to shift their services toward older adults. Many have not done this. I know GMHC certainly made a commitment to older adults and they’re making progress, but other ASOs are just on the cusp. If you walk into any ASO and see a friendly environment that welcomes older adults, that’s a rarity. Most ASOs still emphasize youth, the efforts to end the epidemic, or changing sexual infection rates. The emphasis on youth ensures the exclusion of quality care for other groups who need more support, like older adults with HIV. Of course, ASO programming is largely driven but fund allocation by government and foundations.
Here is my original post.
I’m beyond heartbroken. I just found out about the death of Steve Karpiak. He was a true pioneer in HIV and aging research and advocacy.
He taught me more than I can recount. I can’t imagine life without him. I’ll always treasure our long phone calls and the times we got to spend together.
I first met him in 2014, a few months after the first Let’s Kick ASS townhall in September 2013. He became my mentor, teacher, friend, sounding board, and, eventually, a colleague. An elder in the truest sense of that word. the voice of sanity, and a fucking amazing, brilliant man. He always has the kindest, wisest voice in any room.
I was lucky enough to have worked alongside Steve on numerous projects, panels, committees, and advisory boards — including the Research On Older Adults 2.0 study (ROAH 2. Research Advisory Committee) and the SAGE USA HIV and Aging Policy Action Coalition (HAPAC). He was
We also participated in a roundtable discussion supported in March of 2016, focused on healthy aging for people with HIV and the impact of multimorbidity on this population. You can download it here: https://bit.ly/FocusonHealthyAgingwithHIV
I’m shocked and in disbelieve about his passing. Even though I knew he’d been having a rough time lately. It will take time to comprehend.
RIP Stephen. I love you. You leave a hole no one can fill.
https://www.iasociety.org/Membership/Meet-the-Members/A-day-in-the-life-of/Stephen-Karpiak
Here is what GMHC posted:
GMHC Mourns the Passing of Dr. Stephen Karpiak, Ph.D.
GMHC is saddened to share that Dr. Stephen Karpiak, Ph.D. passed away on October 16, 2021. Dr. Karpiak had a long and celebrated career in the field of HIV and aging. Since 2017, he served as Senior Director for Applied and Translational Research at GMHC’s Center on HIV & Aging, and he also was the founder and Director of GMHC’s groundbreaking National Resource Center on HIV and Aging (NRCHA). He invested a great amount of time to expanding NRCHA and planning two successful national HIV and Aging webinars, which brought together thousands of people to learn how to expand care models for this population. Prior to working at GMHC, Dr. Karpiak was the Executive Director of an agency in Arizona providing congregate housing for the homeless with HIV/AIDS. He also served as the Executive Director of Pride Senior Network. Dr. Karpiak joined ACRIA in 2002, where he launched the groundbreaking Research on Older Adults with HIV (ROAH) studies and supervised clinical trials for HIV drugs. Dr. Karpiak was on faculty for 25 years at Columbia University Medical School in Neuroscience and Immunology. He was a member of the Einstein-Rockefeller-Hunter Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the HIV-AGE initiative of the American Academy of HIV Medicine and the American Geriatrics Society. He was also on faculty at NYU Nursing and has published over 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers. Dr. Karpiak’s research was recognized by a special award from the U.S. Surgeon General. His work helped to support the establishment of the annual HIV and Aging Awareness Day in September, as well as the White House Conference on HIV and Aging. Everyone at GMHC — and all who worked with and knew Dr. Karpiak — will miss his dedicated expertise, advocacy, and passion for supporting older adults living with HIV. We send our tender thoughts and condolences to his extended family, friends, and colleagues.
