Tristan Barber

Tristan Barber (he/them) is a consultant physician in HIV medicine at the Ian Charleson Day Centre, Royal Free Hospital, and Honorary Associate Professor at the Institute for Global Health, University College London, in the UK. He is currently Chair of the British HIV Association (BHIVA) and Editor-in-Chief of the journal, HIV Research and Clinical Practice. Tristan has lived with HIV since 2002 and has worked in HIV medicine for over two decades, combining frontline clinical care with research, service development and national leadership.

His practice is grounded in holistic, person-centred care, with expertise in antiretroviral optimization, ageing and co-morbidities. In 2019, he established the Sage Clinic, a frailty service for people ageing with HIV, and his research background spans HIV-related neurocognitive impairment and antiretroviral clinical trials. He has contributed extensively to guideline development, audit, quality improvement, implementation science and education, helping shape standards of HIV care nationally and internationally.

Tristan has led campaigns for policy change in the UK, helping secure updated Civil Aviation Authority guidance enabling commercial pilots living with HIV to fly, and spearheading a campaign to amend legislation so that people living with HIV can donate sperm and eggs to start a family if they choose. These achievements reflect his broader commitment to challenging outdated, stigma-driven policy.

As Chair of BHIVA, Tristan leads a multidisciplinary association responsible for evidence-based guidelines, major scientific conferences, education programmes and advocacy for equitable, high-quality HIV care. He was elected with a mandate to strengthen UK standards in HIV medicine while expanding international advocacy and partnerships. He has served on guideline writing groups and represented BHIVA and people living with HIV in cross-sector initiatives with public health agencies and professional societies.

International engagement has been central to his career, encompassing work, teaching and collaboration across South East and eastern Europe, India, Nepal, Myanmar, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Brazil, Argentina and Japan. From 2021 to 2025, he chaired Positively UK, a peer-support charity for people living with HIV, and from 2022 to 2025, he chaired the European AIDS Clinical Society Young Investigator Network.

A long-standing IAS Member, Tristan has contributed to multidisciplinary scientific exchange, aligning himself with its vision of a world in which HIV no longer threatens public health or individual well-being. He remains deeply committed to global health, mentoring the next generation of clinicians, researchers and advocates, and ending HIV-related stigma.