Family Medicine Specialist
Georgia Department of Public Health, Coastal Health District, Chatham CARE Center, Savannah, GA, USA
Disclosure(s): Gilead Sciences: Advisor/Consultant, Grant/Research Support, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Grant/Research Support; Merck: Advisor/Consultant, Grant/Research Support; ViiV: Advisor/Consultant, Grant/Research Support
Debbie P. Hagins, MD, FAPCR, AAHIVS, is the Medical Director and Principal Investigator for the Coastal Health District's CARE Centers in SE Georgia, serving the needs of more than 1600 persons across 8 counties. Her lifelong ambition was to be a missionary doctor caring for the most vulnerable of people; serving with her head, her heart, and her hands. She has been caring for some of the most vulnerable populatoins living with HIV for the past 30 years, and serves as a preceptor and mentor to medical, nursing, and pharmacy students, residents, physicians and midlevel clinicians. Dr. Hagins graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA, and completed her Family Medicine residency at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia, then obtained credentials as an HIV Specialist. She has been the recipient of notable awards to include: the Spirit of Excellence Award's Unstoppable Woman of the Year, the GA State Public Health Leadership Award, the Women Rock Award, Who's Who, and the Hero in Medicine Award. She has been featured in The NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, local media and has been a guest on several radio and television outlets. Dr. Hagins has had the honor of serving as an reseacher for more than 50 HIV registrational studies spanning the past 14 years. Enjoying public speaking, she has been a presenter at many conferences on a broad range of topics. Outside of medicine, Dr. Hagins enjoys singing, reading, traveling, volunteering for community service, and motivational speaking for more than four decades. When asked what is her dream job, she responds: "To be a Star Trek Doctor; where the best treatment that medicine has to offer is available to EVERYONE regardless of any demographic! A world that has finally put to rest poverty, hunger and war."