Rashad Burgess is a nationally respected public health leader whose career has been shaped by a deeply personal commitment to equity, access, and community care. Growing up as a gay teenager on the South Side of Chicago during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the early 1990s, Burgess witnessed firsthand the devastating consequences of health inequity—experiences that continue to inform and fuel his life’s work. That early exposure instilled in him a lasting responsibility to serve communities most impacted by systemic barriers, particularly Black queer communities.
Burgess currently serves as Vice President of Advancing Health and Equity at Gilead Sciences, where he leads national efforts to address health disparities through strategy, investment, and community partnership. Prior to joining Gilead, he held senior leadership roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including Branch Chief of Capacity Building in the HIV/AIDS Prevention Division. Across both public and private sectors, Burgess has dedicated more than a decade to reducing the disproportionate impact of HIV in Black communities, advancing access to prevention tools like PrEP, strengthening care systems, and addressing the broader social determinants of health.
Beyond his professional leadership, Rashad Burgess is also a visible advocate for representation and integrity. As a husband, father, and First Gentleman of the Vision Cathedral of Atlanta, he embraces the responsibility of being an openly gay Black man in leadership—modeling what it looks like to lead with purpose, humility, and accountability. Grounded in the belief that ending the HIV epidemic requires more than medicine alone, Burgess remains steadfast in his conviction that equity-driven action, sustained investment, and collective responsibility will make an HIV-free future possible within his lifetime.