B. W. Furness, MD, MPH

WWC volunteer physician
825 North Capitol Street, NE
Suite #2224
Washington, DC
USA 20002
Email: bwfurness@hotmail.com

Biographical Sketch:
Dr. Furness grew up in Sewickley, PA. He earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree from Allegheny College (Meadville, PA) where he minored in Communication Arts and spent his junior year abroad at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). Dr. Furness earned his Doctorate of Medicine (M.D.) Degree from Georgetown University (Washington, DC) where he was active in the Substance Abuse Outreach Program sponsored by the American Medical Students Association and spent time working at the Fundacion Sante Fe de Bogota in Bogota, Colombia. Dr. Furness then completed 4 years of Internal Medicine/Pediatric residency training at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles, CA) during which time he worked with the homeless at the Venice Family Clinic and high-risk adolescents at the Los Angeles Free Clinic. Dr. Furness subsequently spent 2 years in the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Fellowship at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) (Atlanta, GA) working in the Division of Parasitic Diseases where he investigated outbreaks caused by cyclospora and cryptosporidium, ran a clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of a new combination therapy for dual control of lymphatic filariasis and intestinal helminthiasis, and consulted with The Carter Center for dracunculiasis eradication in Ghana. He received his Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree from Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD) in 2001 where he specialized in International Health. Dr. Furness is currently employed as a medical epidemiologist with the CDC, in the National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention (NCHSTP), Division of STD Prevention (DSTDP), Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch (ESB), Field Epidemiology Unit (FEU) assigned to both the National Syphilis Elimination Rapid Response Team (RRT) and the Washington, DC STD Control Program. Dr. Furness is a Diplomat of the American Board of Preventive Medicine, has published several papers on topics ranging from giardiasis to food insecurity, and was recently awarded the U.S. Public Health Service Citation for his work on sexually transmitted diseases in Washington, DC. He is a volunteer physician at Whitman-Walker Clinic for both the Transgender Health and the Gay Men’s Health and Wellness Clinics.