In the early days, Greg served as CWGHR Co-Chair and on several organizational advisory committees. His Co-Chair, Dr. Stephanie Nixon, fondly recalls reflecting on early wins with Greg and his lasting impact on her worldview:

“I can recall one day the three of us [Greg, Stephanie and Elissa Zack, CWGHR’s founder] were sitting in the tiny office at the Wellesley Hospital in Toronto, reflecting on the progress we’d made.  It was quite something and I was sitting with the satisfaction of good work done. I’ll never forget what Greg said next, with kindness and also clarity: “Let’s not break our arms patting ourselves on the back.”  It still cracks me up. Greg was such a humble soul, so deeply dedicated to the work. Greg powerfully shaped how I see activism and the world.”

Greg’s willingness to share his professional expertise as a medical doctor combined with his experiential knowledge as a long-term survivor of HIV benefited our work immensely. He generously educated healthcare providers on the benefits of rehabilitation for people living with HIV and was instrumental in formalizing this curriculum, spearheading the initiation of CWGHR’s inter-professional mentorship program for rehabilitation professionals. In recognition of his important contributions to our foundational work, he received CWGHR’s first Award of Excellence in HIV and Rehabilitation in 2008, an honour later renamed (posthumously) for CWGHR’s founding Executive Director, Elisse Zack, Greg’s colleague and friend.

And, true to form, Greg didn’t waste much time celebrating successes. He went on to support the development of CWGHR’s comprehensive evidence-informed, peer-reviewed E-Module for Evidence-Informed HIV Rehabilitation (2011), which was unique to the field, and one of our most popular outputs with over 200,000 downloads internationally. He was also among those who laid the groundwork for CWGHR’s enduring leadership on HIV and aging, co-authoring evidence-informed recommendations for rehabilitation with older adults living with HIV, alongside Dr. Kelly O’Brien and others.

Most recently, Greg continued to help shape Realize’s work to improve health systems for people aging with HIV by actively participating in several Think Tanks and consulting on the development of a new online course on HIV and aging for providers of long-term care. 

Realize Co-Executive Director, Kate Murzin, describes Greg as an advocate, through and through, saying “Greg’s drive for better, more inclusive care for people living with HIV was tireless and extended beyond Realize. Despite facing many structural and societal hurdles, he persevered, changing tack but never losing focus. His advocacy to ensure people living with HIV access to organ transplantation was transformative and has quite surely saved many lives.  His community involvement and dedication to volunteerism across organizations has challenged pervasive stigma and moved the needle in terms of awareness. Greg’s bright smile lit up a room, proving you catch more flies with honey than vinegar; he advocated strongly, but also gently; pushing all of us to do better.”

We at Realize are so thankful for Greg’s loyal membership, service to the organization, and friendship over many years. His absence at the table is already felt. Greg, may you rest well, knowing you helped change things for the better for people living with HIV in Canada and beyond.