Praphan Phanuphak, MD, PhD is Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. In February 1985, Professor Praphan diagnosed Thailand's first three cases of HIV/AIDS and has been involved in clinical care as well as in HIV prevention and treatment research since then. Together with late Professors Joep Lange and David Cooper, Professor Praphan co-founded HIV-NAT (the HIV Netherlands, Australia, Thailand Research Collaboration), Asia's first HIV clinical trials centre in Bangkok in 1996. Professor Praphan was a member of various national and international HIV/AIDS committees including that of WHO and UNAIDS. He served as the Director of the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre for 31 years (1989-2020) and is currently the Senior Research and Policy Advocacy Advisor of the Institute of HIV Research and Innovation (IHRI) in Bangkok as well as the Advisor of HIV-NAT.
Professor Praphan is a strong advocate of combination antiretroviral therapy for preventing mother-to-child transmission in Thailand and the region. He is also a strong advocate for treatment as prevention or earlier initiation of ART as well as ART initiation on the same day of HIV diagnosis. He started the pioneer work of KPLHS (key population-led health services) in Thailand where CBOs whose members are also KP (MSM/TG) are trained to lead and provide quality HIV services to their peers.
