Dr. Jeffrey Klausner
President: 3/2/2025 – Present
Dr. Jeffrey Klausner is an internationally renowned expert in sexually transmitted infections, including herpes. Dr. Klausner is a Clinical Professor of Medicine and Public Health at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
From 1998-2009 Dr. Klausner was a Deputy Health Officer, Director of STD Prevention and Control Services at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, member of the UCSF School of Medicine faculty in the Divisions of AIDS and Infectious Diseases and Attending Physician at San Francisco General Hospital. While in San Francisco Dr. Klausner helped identify key factors associated with the increased spread of HIV and STDs and implemented multiple novel public health prevention programs. He helped create the St. James Infirmary, the first occupational health and safety clinic for sex workers and Magnet, a community-based peer-run sexual health clinic for gay men.
Additional Experience
From 1998-2009 Dr. Klausner was a Deputy Health Officer, Director of STD Prevention and Control Services at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, member of the UCSF School of Medicine faculty in the Divisions of AIDS and Infectious Diseases and Attending Physician at San Francisco General Hospital. While in San Francisco Dr. Klausner helped identify key factors associated with the increased spread of HIV and STDs and implemented multiple novel public health prevention programs. He helped create the St. James Infirmary, the first occupational health and safety clinic for sex workers and Magnet, a community-based peer-run sexual health clinic for gay men.
From 2009-2011 Dr. Klausner was Branch Chief for HIV and TB at the Centers for Disease Control in Pretoria, South Africa, helping lead the South African PEPFAR program for HIV/AIDS care and treatment.
After returning from South Africa, from 2011-2021. Klausner was a senior faculty member in the UCLA Division of Infectious Diseases, David Geffen School of Medicine, and the Department of Epidemiology at the Fielding School of Public health.
Research Interests
Dr. Klausner’s research interests are in applied epidemiology and the prevention and control of infectious diseases of public health importance like HIV, STIs including herpes, TB, COVID-19 and cryptococcal infections.
Dr. Klausner has a particular interest in the use of technology—information, digital, and laboratory—to facilitate access to treatment for disadvantaged populations. Dr. Klausner has been funded by the NIH, CDC, private pharmaceutical and test manufacturers to study the benefits of new ways to find and treat infectious diseases. Dr. Klausner is a frequent advisor to the CDC, NIH and WHO and a popular public speaker.
Dr. Gary Richwald
Vice President: 3/2/2025 – Present
Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Cornell University, he continued to study public health and epidemiology/health services research at the University of California Los Angeles. He earned his medical degree from Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai.
Currently, he serves as a consultant for the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) and provides expertise in the area of viral sexually transmitted infections.
From 1989 to 2000, Dr. Richwald served as the Director of the Los Angeles County STD Program, which is the largest STD education and awareness organization in the country.
He also served as the Medical Advisor for the LA and Orange County HELP (HSV and HPV support) groups. Dr. Richwald also acted as a consultant for the CDC in the areas of sexually transmitted diseases.
Dr. Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz
Secretary and Treasurer: 1/24/2025 – Present
Dr. Lao-Tzu Allan-Blitz is an Assistant Professor of medicine at the University of California Los Angeles and the David Geffen School of Medicine. As a physician, he cares for both adults and children. Dr. Allan-Blitz’s research focuses on addressing disparities in sexual health equity, combining laboratory-based diagnostic development with public health field implementation programs. He has specific expertise in developing low-cost, CRISPR-based tests for detecting sexually transmitted pathogens. Dr. Allan-Blitz has worked in numerous global settings. He believes that access to high-quality healthcare is a human right and views diagnostic tests as a fundamental component of high-quality healthcare.
Dr. Kenneth Lawrence
Board Member at Large: 1/24/2025 – Present
Kenneth Lawrence, BS, PharmD is currently Senior Vice President and Head of Global Medical Medical Affairs at Aicuris. Is a graduate of The University of Rhode Island for both his Bachelor of Pharmacy and Doctor of Pharmacy Degree’s. Dr. Lawrence began his over 20-year clinical pharmacy practice career as a critical care pharmacist later transitioning to Infectious Disease/Antimicrobial Stewardship. More recently, he has held roles in Clinical Development and most recently Medical Affairs. For more than a decade, his work has been dedicated to expanding the pipeline antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of challenging pathogens. He is passionate about antimicrobial development and incorporating antimicrobial stewardship strategies into Medical Affairs to partner with health systems to improve patient care. Additionally, he is working with area high schools and pharmaceutical companies to highlight the need and benefit of encouraging more students from underrepresented minority groups to choose careers in STEM.
Dr. Luis Schang
Board Member at Large: 1/24/2024 – Present
President, International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR)
Dr. Luis Schang is a molecular virologist interested in the interactions between viruses and cells, interactions which determine the outcomes of the infection and, consequently, pathogenicity. He is particularly interested in the commonalities among unrelated viruses. His laboratory works to identify small molecules that inhibit the infectivity or replication of multiple viruses and then use these compounds as probes to find commonalities among mostly unrelated viruses. This research answers fundamental questions on molecular virology while identifying biologically active small molecule scaffolds that may be developed as antivirals. Dr. Schang is a Professor of Chemical Virology at Cornell University.
Ms. Reina Samaro
Board Member at Large: September 2025 – Present
Reina Samaro is a passionate advocate for herpes awareness, education, and research. After contracting herpes at the age of five as a result of sexual abuse, she has lived with the condition for over 25 years and now uses her experience to help others feel seen, supported, and hopeful. Guided by her faith, Reina finds strength in transforming pain into purpose and is dedicated to spreading compassion and hope through her advocacy.
Reina joined the board of the Herpes Cure Advocacy Committee to help end stigma, expand public understanding, and drive funding for a cure—especially for those who contracted the virus through no fault of their own. An entrepreneur based in Indiana, she works in e-commerce and liquidation and brings strong leadership, communication, and people skills to her advocacy work.
Ms. Deb Levine, MA
Board Member at Large: September 2025 – Present
Deb Levine is the Founder and former Executive Director of YTH (youth+tech+health). She has been working in the field of sexual health since 1993, when she discovered the power of the Internet to discuss sensitive topics while creating the immensely popular Go Ask Alice website at Columbia University. Her work has been cited in former President Clinton’s Advisory Council Report on Education and the Internet, she was a Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellow, and she won the White House Challenge, Apps against Abuse, with Circle of 6, an app to prevent dating violence. Deb has co-authored numerous professional papers that have been published in journals such as the American Journal of Public Health, Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy, and AIDSCare. She has written sex advice columns for AOL, Time-Warner, Planned Parenthood Federation, and Yahoo! and has been extensively quoted in print in the New York Times, CNN.com, and The Wall Street Journal. Deb holds a Bachelor’s of Social Work from Cornell University and Master’s of Arts in Experiential Education from New York University.
Ms. Ashley McHugh
Board Member at Large: September 2025 – Present
Ashley McHugh is a program manager at Meta where she works with engineering and product teams to bring next-generation wearable devices to life. She currently lives in NYC with her bernedoodle, Severus, and enjoys traveling, learning new topics/skills and yoga. She has 13 years experience in Big Tech and consulting, bringing technical expertise, project management and problem-solving skills.
Due to personal reasons, Ashley became acquainted with HSV and the stigma associated with the disease. She joined the board of the Herpes Cure Advocacy Committee to help make a difference in the efforts to end the disease’s stigma and stop the spread of the virus. Ashley holds a B.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Virginia. She has always felt drawn to solving difficult problems that can improve the quality of life for others.
Ms. Amy Fink
Board Member at Large: September 2025 – Present
Amy Fink is an attorney with a broad base of knowledge in numerous practice areas. Her experience includes acting as the primary legal advisor on all aspects of directing and administering global corporate insurance programs including professional liability, general liability, environmental-related, cyber, directors and officers, employment practices liability, property, aviation, and fiduciary policies. She handles disputes, claims and all aspects of global litigation from initiation through trial, arbitration, and mediation. She is involved in strategic business counseling and advises on a wide variety of legal issues including bid protests, mandatory reporting investigations, project and risk assessments, joint venture and teaming arrangements, entity selection, business ethics and conduct issues, and employment issues. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego and her Juris Doctor from the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.