|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Photo Credit: Holy Cross Health
Holy Cross Medical Group primary care physician Robert Gioia, DO, MHA, FAAFP, AAHIVS has been elected board chair of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of HIV Medicine (AAHIVM) for a two year term and will represent the state on the organization’s national board.
AAHIVM provides doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care workers who are not infectious disease specialists with credentials to provide HIV preventative care, treat patients with HIV and advocate for the cause.
Dr. Gioia joined AAHIVM in 2021, but this is his first time serving in a leadership position. Although it’s less than before, he feels there’s still a stigma associated with HIV that he hopes to dispel.
“HIV isn’t just a LGBTQ+ illness. It can affect anyone who is sexually active. The medications now available enable people who are being treated for HIV to live a long and healthy life,” he said. “We are effectively helping to decrease the spread of HIV in Broward County, one of the highest counties in the U.S. for new HIV cases. I have a passion for teaching and education, and in this role as chair, I’ll be able to educate other primary care physicians on how to treat HIV patients, provide preventative services and where to direct patients to receive free HIV testing and PrEP services.”
In addition to being certified by AAHIVM as an HIV specialist, Dr. Gioia is a Diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine. Prior to joining Holy Cross Health in 2024, he was a primary care physician at Chen Senior Medical Center in North Lauderdale.
Dr. Gioia graduated with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing and completed a family medicine residency at Wellspan York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania. While in medical school, he received the Robert Piccinini Endowed Scholarship and Canadian Initiative Scholarship, which are awarded to Canadian students who are excelling. He also received the Silver Award in recognition of serving as a volunteer for more than 50 hours in one year and was also inducted into the Sigma Sigma Phi Osteopathic Honor Society.
Dr. Gioia earned his Master of Health Administration at Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business in Boca Raton, Florida. He also has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and diploma in honors standing in physiology from University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.
Before pursuing family medicine, Dr. Gioia had a flourishing career in dentistry for more than a decade. With a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he had a private dental practice in Sault Ste. Marie in Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Gioia is licensed to practice medicine in Florida, Michigan and Texas. His office is located in Holy Cross Medical Group’s Wilton Manors office at 1402 NE 26th St. in Fort Lauderdale. To schedule an appointment, call 954-565-7789 or visit holy-cross.com for more information.
ABOUT HOLY CROSS HEALTH
A member of Trinity Health, Fort Lauderdale-based Holy Cross Hospital, dba Holy Cross Health, is a full-service, not-for-profit, Catholic, teaching hospital operating in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy. Holy Cross has been recognized for six Types of Care in U.S. News and World Report’s 2025-2026 Best Hospital rankings, was named among the 2024 America’s Best-In-State Hospitals by Newsweek and selected as a Forbes America’s Best Employers for Healthcare Professionals in 2025. Holy Cross has also been designated as a High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for LGBTQ+ health care access. Through strategic collaborations and a commitment to being a person-centered, transforming, healing presence, the 557-bed hospital offers progressive inpatient, outpatient and community outreach services and clinical research trials to serve as the community’s trusted health partner for life. Holy Cross Health also includes Holy Cross HealthPlex outpatient facility, urgent care centers and more than 40 Holy Cross Medical Group physician practices. To learn more about Holy Cross Health, visit holy-cross.com. Connect with Holy Cross Health on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
