Biography

Chad Zawitz, MD is a Senior Director of US Medical Affairs at Gilead Sciences. As a Regional Medical Expert, Dr. Zawitz is committed to expanding medical education and research initiatives to improve the outcomes for people who want and need HIV prevention and those living with HIV. Prior to joining Gilead, Chad was the Divisional Chair of Correctional Health and a practicing Infectious Diseases physician at the Cook County Jail, with privileges at the Ruth Rothstein CORE Center and John. H. Stroger Hospital in Chicago for 21 years. He earned his medical degree from Rush University in Chicago and completed his General Internal Medicine Residency at the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his Infectious Diseases Fellowship at Rush University and is board certified in Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases and is a Certified Correctional Healthcare Provider (CCHP). Chad has dedicated his entire career to the HIV community with two decades of clinical practice serving carceral, returning citizens, and community patients and their families in the Chicago-land area. As academic faculty at Rush University, Cook County Hospital and Midwestern University, he was instrumental in training and mentoring medical trainees and a variety of healthcare professionals. He was involved in clinical and epidemiologic research, as well as a range of service grants and projects aimed at improving linkage and access to care for underserved communities. He has presented in National and International conferences and has published in peer-reviewed journals. Dr Zawitz was actively engaged with clinical and public health agencies and led the COVID response at one of the largest mega-jails in the country. During his career, Chad has been recognized as a patient advocate, a leader and innovator in carceral healthcare, and was the recipient of the 2025 Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago’s “Health Justice Legacy Award”, given to an individual with lived experience in Illinois who has made significant contributions throughout the decades to the reentry space and for/with individuals who are justice-impacted. He also built one of the largest and most successful continuity of care programs in carceral settings in the country.

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