Few people have changed the course of HIV prevention in the UK as profoundly as Dr Mags Portman. At a time when effective HIV prevention existed but remained out of reach for many, Mags combined clinical excellence with courage, compassion and determination to help ensure that PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV) reached the people who needed it most.
She understood that ending HIV transmissions would only be possible if medicine worked hand in hand with the community. From her role in the landmark PROUD study which began in 2012 to her tireless work alongside activists and clinicians, Mags championed access to PrEP before it was available on the NHS, helping establish safe pathways for people to obtain it and shaping the national guidance that followed. The rapid fall in new HIV diagnoses that followed remains part of her enduring legacy.
Those closest to Mags knew that her impact came as much from who she was as what she achieved. As her husband recalls, she 'enjoyed working with people and could recognise the value they brought regardless of what they did.' Her warmth, openness and generosity 'enabled people to believe in her and support her initiatives.' While she was remembered as 'charismatic and fun', she was also 'a very serious person who was hard working and dedicated to her job', even reducing her clinical hours so she could devote one day each week to advancing access to PrEP.
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Your donation can continue the work Mags and so many others dedicated their lives to. Donating in memory of someone you love is a special way to honour their memory whilst supporting vital work for people living with HIV and ending new cases of HIV in the UK by 2030.
