Joshua Agee received his Bachelor of Science in Biology degree from Tougaloo College May 2015. He plans to attend medical school and specialize in infectious diseases. Joshua recently completed an internship with NASA where he studied how space environment affects the human immune system. Joshua participated in the UMMC-HBCU Prostate Cancer Research training program funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. Living in the Jackson Metro Area has made him more aware of the alarming rates at which Young Black Men who have Sex with Men (YBMSM) are being infected with HIV.
Last year, Joshua worked as an Outreach Recruiter with the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health and the University of Mississippi Medical Center on a collaborative effort on the Better Sex with Latex (BSL)/ Focus on the Future (FOF) project. Joshua’s work as an outreach recruiter was the primary inspiration in him seeking to become an Infectious Disease Physician. He hopes to help accelerate improvements in HIV prevention and care while reducing disparities among underserved populations. For him working with BSL has been an eye-opening experience, highlighted by the need of innovative prevention methods powered by increased education and strong leadership in the YBMSM community.
Joshua currently works with My Brother’s Keeper as the PrEP coordinator. As coordinator he educates individuals about PrEP, assess their risk of contracting HIV, and navigates insurance issues with the patients regarding PrEP.