UH Infectious Disease Leader a Trusted Resource for Patients with HIV

UH Clinical Update | June 2025

When Barbara Gripshover, MD, was in her second month of infectious disease fellowship at UH Cleveland Medical Center in 1991, she did a rotation on the dedicated service for patients with HIV. She never looked back.

Barbara Gripshover, MD

“I was on that service, and I got hooked,” she says. “I felt like I made the biggest difference there at the end of the day. And even though we could only help patients for a little bit, we were helping people who needed help.”

Fast-forward 34 years, and Dr. Gripshover is still making a difference for patients with HIV being treated at UH – although managing the condition has changed radically in the intervening years due to research advances. Since 1997, she has served as Medical Director of the John T. Carey Special Immunology Unit, whose mission is to provide expert comprehensive, compassionate care to all people living with HIV while furthering progress through education and research.

Dr. Gripshover’s tenure at UH actually dates back to 1987 with internal medicine residency. Why has she chosen UH as the home for her career for all these years?

“It’s been the ability to take care of everyone, regardless of ability to pay, along with the opportunity for teaching residents and infectious disease fellows and medical students,” she says. “I like that collaborative academic atmosphere. We also in our clinic participate in clinical trials, so I have the chance to not only take care of patients but also help solve some of the pressing questions in HIV.”

For example, one recent trial where Dr. Gripshover and UH participated evaluated adding a statin to the medication regimen for people with HIV – who did not have high cholesterol – as a potential means of reducing inflammation and cardiovascular events. The study of 7,700 people with HIV found that adding a statin decreased heart attacks and strokes by 35%.

“That's really changed our guidelines,” Dr. Gripshover says. “In people with HIV who have any slight risk at all over 40, we want to add a statin to their medication regimen.”

Beyond research, Dr. Gripshover has also been a tireless advocate to provide maximum support services for her patients, securing grants from the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program to fund different positions in the clinic. The John T. Carey Special Immunology Unit manages 1,200 patients and boasts a staff of 22, with 10 physicians rotating through at any one time.

“We have been able to get grant funding to help pay in the gaps and also truly build wraparound services to make a medical home,” she says. “Every patient has their own doctor, nurse, and social worker so they know who to call if they have an issue, and we have also a mental health counselor, a dietician and pharmacist, all as part of the team to meet patients’ needs.”

In recognition of this outstanding work, UH CEO Cliff A. Megerian, MD, FACS, Jane and Henry Meyer Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair, recently named Dr. Gripshover a “Dinner with the Doc” honoree.

Dr. Gripshover says that while significant issues in HIV medicine remain – the need for an effective vaccine and cure being paramount – she’s gratified by the progress in HIV management she’s seen in her career. From the early days of treating sequential infections, to the ‘90s and medications that could stop HIV from replicating, to today’s pill or shot that keep the virus undetectable and untransmissible, there’s been unmistakable progress, she says.

“We can keep people healthy living a long life,” she says. “But we want to make it as easy as possible to keep people in care. Not only is it great for them, but it's also good public health. If people with HIV are in care, then they're not passing on HIV. And that's how we can end the epidemic.”

To nominate a physician for this honor, download the Cliff Appreciates Nomination Form.