Stephen P. Raffanti, MD, MPH

Dr. Stephen Raffanti has devoted his professional career to the study of HIV related issues and the care of HIV infected persons.

In the 1970’s, Dr. Raffanti worked in the field of murine retroviruses- an interest that shifted to human retrovirology in the 1980’s. His clinical experience in the field of HIV related medicine began in 1985 where he trained in Internal Medicine in a New Jersey Medical Center with a large number of newly diagnosed patients with AIDS. He then completed a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at the University of Miami. IN 1990 he was recruited by Vanderbilt to organize healthcare efforts for HIV-infected individuals in Middle Tennessee. He established the Infectious Diseases Clinic at Metropolitan General Hospital and expanded the HIV clinic at the Health Department. When it became obvious that the existing facilities would not be adequate to provide services to the rapidly growing population of HIV-infected individuals, he worked with then Mayor Phil Bredesen and Niel Dieh, of Ingram Industries, to organize a community wide effort that resulted in the opening of the Comprehensive Care Center (CCC) in February, 1994. Under his leadership, the now Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic has become one of the largest and most comprehensive HIV-related care centers in the nation.

Dr. Raffanti has also been closely involved in the establishment of the state-wide Centers of Excellence Program, a collaborative effort between the state of Tennessee, managed care organizations, HIV care providers and consumers to ensure state-of-the art clinical management for people living with HIV and AIDS. In addition, he developed the treatment guidelines and standards of medical and preventive care for HIV infected individuals treated at the Centers of Excellence. He has also served on many national committees and advisory groups and in 2005 was elected the HIV Clinician Educator of the Year by the Infectious Diseases Society of America/HIV Medicine Association.

Among the many hats he wears, he is also the Project Director for the TN AIDS Education and Training Center and continues to develop new innovative models to provide care to HIV infected patients. His current position as Medical Director of the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic and Associate Director, HIV Clinical Services, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine highlight his essential role in HIV/AIDS care.

Dr. Raffanti earned an MD from the Universita' degli Studi di Genova in Genoa, Italy, and an MPH from Vanderbilt University in Nashville.