Dr. Stephaun E. Wallace

Dr. Stephaun Elite Wallace, November 17, 1977 - August 5, 2023, has left us in this life and entered the next, joining his beloved father and mother, who passed in 2009 and 2018, respectively. Dr. Wallace leaves behind a brother, Jeremiah, a sister, Krystal, and a large and extended chosen family with children from many houses, including The House of Elite, which he reopened in 2004, The House of Blahnik, and The House of Marc Jacobs that he founded in 2021.



Dr. Wallace was a research epidemiologist, public health and business consultant, and an internationally recognized public health and social justice leader. He was the Director of External Relations for Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center's (Fred Hutch) HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN). He had faculty appointments at Fred Hutch, the University of Washington (UW), and Yale as a staff scientist, clinical assistant professor, and affiliate professor, respectively. In addition, he launched the inaugural Office of Community Engagement for the Center for AIDS Research at UW/Fred Hutch. Dr. Wallace's current interests sat at the intersection of public health and social justice, with a particular and intentional focus on increasing the positive health outcomes among members of racial/ethnic and gender/sexual minority groups in the United States and internationally, as well as HIV prevention and treatment focused on key populations, including same gender loving and transgender persons. His research and the various programs he led were accountable and responsive to critical populations, utilizing population-centered approaches that integrated the community's knowledge, assets, and strengths into the research efforts.



He had more than two decades of global experience in sexual/public health and human services in HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases with diverse populations and a range of social justice and community mobilization efforts. He had over a decade of experience conducting research in the United States and internationally. He is also revered as a Legendary Father in the Ballroom community.



Dr. Wallace came of age in the 1980s and 1990s in Los Angeles, CA. His road to becoming an epidemiologist was a unique one. As a child, he wanted to become a lawyer and help under-resourced people in his community. He pursued this interest during his undergraduate education in criminal justice, followed by four years of service with the U.S. Army as a senior paralegal administrator (1994 – 1998). In his youth, he experienced firsthand how race shaped every part of how society and the medical system engaged with and treated individuals, families, and communities. He understood why many Black Americans are hesitant to trust doctors and scientists, and the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear that racial health inequities continue to be a huge problem, not limited to historical events like the Tuskegee Syphilis Study or the case of Henrietta Lacks.



In an interview with Bill Gates, Dr. Wallace noted, "Acts of racism in the medical establishment are not just historical. People still experience the same sorts of abuses and traumas today."



As a young bisexual Black man, Stephaun witnessed firsthand the devastating impacts of the HIV/AIDS crisis and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on his communities. At 23, he co-founded and became the director of the Atlanta-based My Brothaz Keeper (MBK), a volunteer-run nonprofit focusing on HIV/AIDS and STI prevention among young, Black, gay, bisexual, and queer men.



In 2007, during his tenure as Board Chairman of the House of Blahnik, Stephaun threw a ball on World AIDS Day at the Georgia World Congress Center. The event was the first of many balls that he organized and curated over the next fifteen years. Stephaun focused on ensuring free admission, making the possibilities accessible to the entire community, and centering health and wellbeing. His goals for these events were education, affirmation, and celebration. To achieve these goals, he created specific HIV/AIDS prevention ball categories. He encouraged HIV/AIDS and STI testing among the competing houses to win significant cash prizes, sometimes up to $5,000.



From 2008 – 2012, Dr. Wallace worked with The MOCHA Project in Rochester, NY, the state's largest statewide organization working to improve health and wellness in communities of color. During this time, he partnered with the HIV vaccine research team at the University of Rochester, a clinical research site affiliated with the HIV Vaccine Trials Network. He began his advocacy efforts in support of research for biomedical HIV prevention strategies.



In 2013, Dr. Wallace moved to Seattle and joined the staff of The Legacy Project, a program within the Office of HIV/AIDS Network Coordination housed at Fred Hutch. He subsequently joined the team of the HVTN's Social and Behavioral Science and Community Engagement Unit (SBS-CEU) in 2016 as a Senior Project Manager. After completing his Ph.D. in 2019, he added the role of Staff Scientist to his work at the SBS-CEU. Following the retirement of one of his mentors, Steve Wakefield, Dr. Wallace became the Director of External Relations for the HVTN in 2020. Under his leadership, the ER team expanded to a full-time staff of four. He also developed the Faith Initiative that had begun under Wakefield's leadership, including adapting it to address the COVID pandemic before returning to its original HIV focus in the past year.



Dr. Wallace is a beloved colleague and friend to many in the HVTN, at Fred Hutch, and beyond. He worked tirelessly to address HIV and other STIs, and more recently COVID-19, in marginalized communities in the United States, South and Central America, and Africa. In 2021, Bill Gates recognized him as a Hero in the Field, but his colleagues and friends have always known him as a hero. He was a strong presence, and everyone felt his calm, confident power whenever he was in the room. He possessed a steady disposition, a bright, heartwarming smile, and exceptional listing skills. When Stephaun spoke, there was often a stillness in the room as everyone awaited his thoughtful insight. Most recently, Dr. Wallace was honored in May 2023 by Dr. Beti Thompson, founder of Fred Hutch's Health Disparities Research Center, with the inaugural Health Equity Staff Champion Award. He built bridges, made connections, and lifted people. He was an incredible source of information, wisdom, and insight. He championed the lives of those in the transgender and non-binary communities, constantly calling attention to the pervasive violence and victimization they experience, especially among Black and Latino/a/x community members. Within the House and Ballroom community, many called him "father" and looked to him for his steady presence, mentorship, and the life lessons he shared. Stephaun gave so much to those around him, and his dedication and commitment to LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities have had an incredible impact on so many.



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