Oral history interview with Dr. Richard DiGioia

Dr. Richard DiGioia moved to Washington, DC in 1974 during a two-year medical military commitment. DiGioia, who had extensive experience treating sexually transmitted infections from his prior military service in Korea, first heard about the Gay Men’s Venereal Disease Clinic while listening to the Friends radio program in 1975. DiGioia began volunteering at the clinic, and soon became the clinic’s doctor. DiGioia also opened up his own internal practice in 1977, and advertised his services in the Washington Blade–becoming one of the first openly gay physicians in DC. 

By the early 1980s, DiGioia began seeing some of DC’s first cases of HIV/AIDS. DiGioia was heavily involved in treating, studying, and spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS in both the gay community and medical community in Washington. For example, DiGioia wrote a regular medical column in the Blade sharing updated information about the disease; served as chairman of the District’s AIDS Advisory Committee; gave regular talks to federal and medical groups about HIV/AIDS; was on the panel of DC’s first HIV/AIDS public forum at Lisner Auditorium in 1983 (both John Willig and Ray Engebretsen being his patients); and even took Mother Teresa on a tour around GWU Hospital to visit AIDS patients. DiGioia shares how being a gay doctor during the AIDS epidemic made him a better doctor in general, for he learned how to truly empathize with his patients, and offer them more holistic care.

Towards the end of the interview, DiGioia raises concerns regarding the current situation of HIV/AIDS healthcare in 2007. He highlights the need for improved community education and empowerment in the gay community, as well as a major overhaul of the increasingly bureaucratized, unaffordable, and impersonal United States healthcare system making HIV/AIDS treatment inaccessible for so many Americans. 

This is a conversation between Dr. Richard DiGioia and an interviewer, discussing Dr. DiGioia's involvement in the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington DC. Dr. DiGioia shares his experiences as a doctor at the Gay Men's VD clinic and later as a primary care physician treating HIV patients. He talks about the challenges faced by the gay community during the epidemic, including the lack of medical insurance and the need for education and awareness.

Dr. DiGioia also discusses the changing landscape of HIV/AIDS care, including advancements in medications and the importance of access to healthcare for all individuals. The conversation highlights the impact of HIV/AIDS on the gay community and the efforts made by healthcare professionals and activists to address the epidemic. It also emphasizes the ongoing need for education, access to healthcare, and support for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.