Professor David Lewis

David Lewis is Director of Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Conjoint Professor at the University of Sydney and Adjunct Professor at Curtin University. In addition, he holds an Honorary Professorship at the University of Cape Town. David provides HIV and sexual health care to a culturally and linguistically diverse population in Western Sydney. Prior to his move to Australia in 2014, David was inaugural Head of the Centre for HIV and STIs at the National Centre for Communicable Diseases, South Africa.  

David’s research interests include biomedical prevention strategies for HIV/STIs, antimicrobial resistance and genital ulcer disease. He is a Council member (2000-2026) and Executive Board Member (2026-2032) of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. He is a Past President and serving Senior Adviser for the International Union against STIs (IUSTI-World).  

David has contributed to several WHO initiatives including guideline development, point-of-care testing and, until late 2024, served as a member of WHO’s Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for HIV, Hepatitis and STIs. Within Australia, he is a member of both the New South Wales Ministry of Health’s HIV and STI Strategy Implementation Committees. He also supports the work of Sydney-based non-governmental organizations working in the HIV treatment and prevention space.