Jeffrey Birnbaum, MD, MPH

Posted December 2012

The Linda Laubenstein Award honors a clinician from NYS, who, in addition to providing the highest quality clinical care, is also distinguished by a compassionate manner towards patients. These qualities have been exemplified in the work of Dr. Jeffrey Birnbaum, the 2012 recipient of the Laubenstein Award for HIV Clinical Excellence. Throughout his entire career, Jeff Birnbaum has been committed to addressing the needs of young people with HIV and those at risk.

Dr. Birnbaum attended medical school at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, completing his pediatric residency there between 1986-89; he also earned an MPH from Columbia in 1991. Dr. Birnbaum is the director of the Health Education Alternatives for Teens (HEAT) program, which focuses on the special needs of youth infected or at risk of becoming infected with HIV. HEAT is a comprehensive care program offering a full range of medical, mental health, supportive and prevention services. Between 2006-12, he was program director for the Family, Adolescents and Children’s Experience at SUNY (FACES) network, working with vulnerable patients in Brooklyn.

Dr. Birnbaum also serves as Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics as well as of Preventive Medicine at Downstate Medical School. His research has been focused on the topics of risk behavior in adolescents, improving medical adherence, and developing prevention protocols. Dr. Birnbaum has been an active leader in the AIDS Institute’s clinical guidelines program since 2000, and was Chair of the Pediatric Guidelines Committee between 2003-2005. He continues to contribute his knowledge and expertise on adolescent treatment issues to the program.

Dr. Birnbaum has taken a unified approach in his commitment to excellent patient care, education, research, and community health, by improving the care provided to adolescents with HIV. Through his clinical practice, teaching, and research efforts, he ensures that a wider audience benefits from his efforts.