Public Health Investigator Manager
Houston Department of Health and Human Services
Bureau of HIV/STD and Viral Hepatitis Prevention
8000 N. Stadium, 5th Floor
Houston,
TX
USA
77054
lupita.thornton@houstontx.gov
Biographical Sketch:
Ms. Thornton has 25 years of experience in the field of HIV/STD and currently serves as the STD Program Manager for Houston, Harris County. Ms. Thornton has participated in research, demonstration and evaluation projects, which have provided Houston with strategies and interventions that improve service delivery systems in HIV/STD. In 1989, Lupita began her tenure with the Houston Department of Health and Human Services as a Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS). She has supervised DIS teams, had oversight of the HIV Counseling Testing/Referral component for the Bureau of HIV/STD, and managed the STD surveillance component for the Bureau of Epidemiology. While in the Bureau of Epidemiology, Ms. Thornton collaborated with HIV surveillance to integrate processes between HIV and STD surveillance. Ms. Thornton developed a process to use surveillance data to conduct HIV Public Health Follow-up; developed liaison positions between Houston Department of Health and Human Services, private medical providers, and community based organizations. Ms. Thornton implemented syphilis preventive treatment in the field setting. Ms. Thornton has presented at numerous local, state and national conferences on the subject of HIV and STD. She developed and implemented the Direct Observed Treatment Clinic for post HIP HOP clients infected with gonorrhea and or Chlamydia in Houston now a standard practice ever year. She was selected to be a consultant to the Houston HIV Incidence Surveillance Program (Houston-HIP) and Houston Morbidity Monitoring Project (HMMP), now a national wide model.