Dr. Hansel Tookes completed his training as an internist with a focus on HIV primary care and hospital medicine for the HIV/substance use disorder syndemics, and harm reduction became the focus of his research. This path was largely informed by the rapidly evolving overdose crisis in our community and nationwide. 

Dr. Tookes formed the IDEA Lab with the purpose of improving health outcomes for people who use drugs with an approach informed by community-based participatory research. Upon joining the faculty at the University of Miami, he became involved in the Florida Node Alliance of the NIDA Clinical Trials Network and a member of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Tookes is a 2021 recipient of the NIDA Avenir Award to study Tele-Harm Reduction, leveraging syringe services programs to bring comprehensive HIV care, including treatment for substance use disorder and hepatitis C treatment, to people who inject drugs via telehealth.To date, his career has primarily been defined by the decade-long effort to make syringe services programs legal in Florida. The natural evolution into harm reduction education, research, and advocacy has become a welcome progression. Dr. Tookes believes it is critical to build models of care that facilitate engagement in low-barrier, non-stigmatizing settings, espousing a harm-reduction approach of meeting people where they are, mentally and physically. Direct patient advocacy in evidence-based practices has been key to our ability to set aside the traditional health care system and build a deconstructed care model for people who inject drugs.

Now, the IDEA Lab has leveraged telehealth to cultivate our deconstructed clinic model for Comprehensive Tele-Harm Reduction for PrEP and MOUD initiation and retention at syringe services programs, as well as the treatment of hepatitis C for primary cancer prevention.