life,, positively
Nationally-known HIV Specialist, Wesley Thompson Recognized for his Work Named America’s Top PA for 2021
by David Aaron Moore qnotes Staff Writer
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hances are, if you’ve been in Charlotte for a while you’ve heard of Wesley Thompson. He’s been around town for a number of years along with his partner, Trey Owen. The two made the decision to call Charlotte home in 1997. Thompson is well-known by his colleagues and in the LGBTQ community for his expertise and knowledge with HIV care and as the HIV Medical Director at Amity Medical Group. In a career that has touched parts of five different decades (and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon) he recently was nominated and received the 2021 America’s Top PA (Physician’s Assistant) award in HIV/AIDS treatment. “I was surprised that I was nominated,” Thompson offers, “I love what I do, but I was a little taken aback when I stopped to think I was chosen by a group of more than 400,000 nurses that collaborate on care and advocacy.” As for actually winning, Thompson’s
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qnotes
Wes Thompson: ‘I feel honored and humbled.’ reaction is sincere and modest. “I am honored and humbled I was chosen,” he says. Coming from an expert so revered for his knowledge of treatment options for HIV, his reply may seem a bit understated. But that’s just Thompson. His top concerns and priorities are always with the patients.
Nov. 12-Nov. 25, 2021
Reflecting back on his career, Thompson is aware of what led him to where he is today. While furthering his education as a grad student at Duke University Hospital, Thompson met his first AIDS patient there in the 1980s. “I watched a nurse refuse to treat him,” he recalls, “She
threw her badge down and said, ‘I refuse to touch those people,’ so I went into his room instead. “There was this small little guy, gay – and clearly not doing very well. Back in those days, the gloves you wore to take samples of blood were thick and difficult to work with, so I removed them and put my hand on his arm. “He was obviously nervous and very upset. When I touched him, he responded with, ‘Don’t touch me. I’ve got it. I’ve got AIDS.’ He was afraid he could somehow infect me just by contact,” Thompson recalls. He explained to the young man that he was gay, too. He was there to help, and it wasn’t possible for him to infect another person just by letting someone touch him. “When we were finished I told him I needed to go to class and I would stop by later and check on him; I pulled my respirator down, gave him a kiss on the forehead and told him I would see him after I finished supper. “By the time I got back, the room was empty. The charge nurse ran up to me and said, ‘I want you to know he told me what you did. You were the last person to touch
