In his work, Alan strives to improve mental health, prevention and support services for members of ethno-racial communities infected and affected by HIV. His research focuses on issues facing ethno-racial communities, particularly issues related to men who have sex with men (MSM), immigrant and refugee communities, and the greater involvement of people with AIDS (GIPA).

Alan helped guide the work of the 2009 Ethno-racial MSM Think Tank, which was organized to address the issue of underrepresented MSMs in research and program development. He was also a lead investigator on the following OHTN-funded grants including:

• Improving the Capacity of the HIV Sector to Respond to Ethno-Racial MSM: Tapping Front-Line Expertise and Wisdom (2007)
• Global Village Evaluation Study (2006)
• The Immigrant and Refugee PHA Think Tank (2006)
• Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Immigrant and Refugee PHAs (2005)

Alan has published and presented his work extensively, including:

• Caught Between Homophobia and Racism: Effects of Discrimination upon the Sexual Behavior of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) from Ethnic and Racial Minority Communities (PI) 2008
• Informational Gaps, Myths and Misconceptions of HIV Infection: A Call for the HIV Sector to Respond to Ethno-Racial MSM’s Unmet Prevention and Information Needs (PI) 2008
• Addressing Social Vulnerabilities to Improve Mental Health Service Access for Immigrant, Refugee and Non-Status People Living with HIV/AIDS (PI) 2007
• Social Vulnerabilities Contributing to Sexual Risk Behaviors Amongst Ethno-Racial MSM: Preliminary Findings From a Community Based Research Study (PI) 2007
• GIPA Principles at Work: Maximizing Community Involvement in an Action Research to Improve Mental Health Service Access for Immigrants and Refugees Living with HIV/AIDS (PI) 2006
• Learning from the Global Village Experiences: Framework for Evaluation and Preliminary Insights (PI) 2006

During his 20 years of work in the Toronto HIV/AIDS sector, Alan has provided valuable insights into often-over-looked segments of the population affected by the epidemic -- for both service providers and researchers. In addition to creating and sharing knowledge exchange and providing superior services, Alan helped found the Committee for Accessible AIDS Treatment (CAAT). He was the founding president of the Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) and has been extensively involved in the Ontario Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS (OACHA), a group that advises the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.