Paul MacPherson

Dr. MacPherson has an active clinical practice in infectious diseases with a particular interest in HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Dr. MacPherson's research focuses on the health and wellbeing of gay and other men who have sex with men in Ontario and strives to ensure this population has access to and is engaged and retained in informed, relevant, and comprehensive healthcare. Dr. MacPherson works with community groups, community members, clinicians, mental health professionals, and researchers to drive change. 

Current Projects include:  
- Ontario Gay Men's Health Survey
- The health and wellbeing of gay seniors    
- PrEP use in Ottawa and Ontario
- Optimizing strategies for targeting and delivering PrEP   
- Development of a Clinical Guide on Gay Men's Health
- HUGO, a comprehensive health website for gay men and healthcare providers    

My overarching goal is to ensure through research, clinical care and education, gay and other men who have sex with men in Ontario have access to and are engaged and retained in informed, relevant, and comprehensive healthcare. Together, we work with community groups, community members, clinicians, mental health professionals and researchers to drive change. Our work is in part guided by results from two large surveys of gay men which we conducted, one in Eastern Ontario (674 respondents) and one across all Ontario (1960 respondents). These surveys enquired about the current health and health priorities of gay men and how gay men prefer to access healthcare. Using the information provided by the population we serve, our goals are to (a) better understand the current deficiencies in healthcare from the perspective of gay men, (b) engage gay men in their health and in healthcare through on-line resources, (c) support primary care providers in the delivery of care to gay men through development of learning modules and clinical practice guides, (d) adapt existing technology to make healthcare more accessible to gay men, and (e) contribute to the development of new knowledge aimed to improve the health of gay men in Ontario. Throughout, our approach is gay-positive, gay-informed, community-oriented and empowering, and engages both gay men and healthcare providers.