Our patrons are respected and highly influential figures who agree with us that HIV testing and sexual health promotion are key to finding solutions to a whole range of connected issues within the healthcare sector.
We’re proud and honoured to have individuals of their stature on board, and know that they’ll do all they can to continue to ensure that the Saving Lives message reaches as many people as possible.
Curtis Davis
Professional Footballer
I’ve been working with Saving Lives since it started and I’m proud
to be a Patron of Saving Lives. If by talking about subjects like HIV, other blood borne viruses and sexual health, we can break down stigma, that can only be a good thing.
Rightly or wrongly, young people look to footballers as role models. I think we have a responsibility to do the right thing. I hope you will also get involved and give your support to Saving Lives.
Lord Philip Alexander Hunt, Baron Hunt of Kings Heath
Labour Life Peer
Lord Hunt is a distinguished public servant and life peer with an extensive career spanning the healthcare sector and senior government office.
A graduate of Leeds University, he began his career in the NHS, holding pivotal leadership roles including Secretary of the Edgware and Hendon Community Health Council and Director of the National Association of Health Authorities (NAHA). He later served as the inaugural Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation and, in 2010, became President of the Royal Society for Public Health.
Since being created a life peer in 1997, Lord Hunt has held numerous ministerial positions across several government departments, including Health, Work and Pensions, Justice, and the Department of Energy and Climate Change. He also served as Deputy Leader of the House of Lords and was sworn of the Privy Council in 2009.
Professor Jane Anderson, CBE
Expert in HIV and Public Health
Professor Jane Anderson is a Consultant Physician in HIV Medicine and a leading academic dedicated to tackling health inequalities. Holding honorary professorial appointments at UCL and Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, her career focuses on the impact of HIV on underserved communities.
A pioneer in specialist NHS care, she established dedicated HIV services at both St Bartholomew’s and Homerton Hospitals, and currently serves as Deputy Director of the SHARE research collaborative.
Professor Anderson brings together clinical science, policy, and community action through major leadership roles. She is the Chair of the National AIDS Trust, Co-Chair of the pan-European HIV Outcomes Collaborative, and Co-Chair of London’s “Getting to Zero” initiative to eliminate new HIV infections across the capital.
Professor Brian Gazzard, CBE
Expert in HIV and Gastroenterology
Professor Brian Gazzard, CBE is a pioneering physician and a foundational figure in the UK’s clinical response to HIV and AIDS. Educated at Cambridge and King’s College Hospital, he diagnosed some of the UK’s earliest cases of the disease, subsequently building one of the nation’s most respected HIV services at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital.
As the unit’s former Clinical and Research Director, he established it as the largest specialist HIV centre in the country, an achievement honoured by the hospital’s dedicated Gazzard Day Unit.
A major figure in medical policy, Professor Gazzard founded the British HIV Association (BHIVA), serving as its inaugural Chair, and chaired the Department of Health’s Expert ‘Advisory Group on AIDS’. His leadership on influential national and international guidelines committees has shaped global healthcare for millions of people.
Dr Ed Wilkins
Expert in HIV and International Health
Dr Ed Wilkins is a highly distinguished specialist in Infectious Diseases, Tropical Medicine, and Medical Microbiology. After qualifying from London University in 1977 and working in Africa, he dedicated 27 years of his career to serving as a Consultant and Clinical Lead of the HIV Unit at North Manchester General Hospital, widely credited with establishing the city as a leading national centre for HIV care.
Throughout the evolving epidemic, Dr Wilkins maintained a robust research portfolio covering antiretroviral toxicity, hepatitis co-infection, and treatment strategies, while always remaining a dedicated, hands-on clinician. Beyond the clinic, he has served as a Clinical Director, journal assistant editor, and longtime contributor to the British HIV Association (BHIVA), where he helped shape national care guidelines.
Having witnessed firsthand the profound physical and emotional toll of late-stage HIV, Dr Wilkins is a passionate advocate for modern, creative public health campaigns. He strongly supports initiatives like Saving Lives that leverage contemporary media networks to reduce stigma, identify undiagnosed cases, and ultimately stop transmission
In Memoriam
Dr Charles Farthing
(1954 – 2019)
Charles was a pioneering physician, a fearless advocate, and a founding patron of Saving Lives. His career in HIV medicine spanned both decades and continents, leaving an indelible mark on healthcare and the community he deeply cared for.
As one of the first doctors to treat people living with HIV and AIDS in the UK during the early 1980s, he helped establish the landmark Kobler Center and worked with policymakers to shape the UK’s response to the epidemic.
Born in New Zealand, his brilliant mind took him to medical and academic roles worldwide. As Chief of Medicine for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, he helped introduce the life-saving combination antiretroviral therapy that transformed HIV into a manageable condition. He also held faculty positions at NYU and UCLA, and later served as Merck’s Regional Director of Medical Affairs for the Asia/Pacific region.
At Saving Lives, we were profoundly honored by his support. Charles was an outspoken champion for people living with HIV, never hesitating to speak out. While the medical community has lost an invaluable leader, we will most of all remember a man of rare kindness and boundless compassion. Our deepest sympathies are with his spouse, Doug Louie, and his family. His dedicated contribution to our charity, and to the world, will never be forgotten.
Dr Mags Portman
(1974 – 2019)
Mags completed her medical training in Glasgow in 1998, initially qualifying as a GP before following a strong calling into sexual health and HIV medicine. Her early work with the Steve Retson Project ignited a lifelong passion for community-led care, prompting her to leave general practice in 2004 to retrain and enter GUM specialty training.
As a registrar in Leeds, Mags helped bring National HIV Testing Week to Leeds and co-founded the city’s first sauna-based clinic for men who have sex with men. In 2014 she worked as a consultant in East London, where her involvement in the landmark PROUD study sparked her dedication to PrEP advocacy, alongside managing the HIV Antenatal clinic at Homerton Hospital.
In 2015, Mags became a Consultant and GUM lead at London’s Mortimer Market Centre. Frustrated by delayed NHS PrEP rollout, she proactively secured support to provide critical medical monitoring for individuals sourcing PrEP online. A fierce advocate until her passing, she co-authored national PrEP guidelines and worked closely with grassroots groups like iwantprepnow and PrEPster.
Dr Mags Portman passed away on Wednesday, 6th February, 2019. Each of us at Saving Lives is truly saddened by her passing: we looked up to Mags as an example of everything an engaged clinician and advocate can and should be. One of a kind, she will be completely irreplaceable. Thank you, Mags. We miss you.