The Ultimate Guy

At the intersection of marginalized communities, medical mistrust casts a shadow that leaves these communities in the dark. As the 2024 Men’s Health Magazine Ultimate Guy, Dr. Leo Moore continues to shine a light on these issues, and guides members of these communities to take control of their own health and wellness so they can live the life they deserve. From Black maternal health and infant mortality to fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, Dr. Leo Moore is on the front lines to ensure that everyone understands the importance and impact of self-care and always feels comfortable in their own skin. We had the chance to sit down with Dr. Leo to discuss how education, advocacy, and activism are the solutions and how Men’s Health Magazine not only empowered him to take charge of his journey but also provided a platform for him to share that strategy with the masses.

BLEU MAGAZINE: Thanks so much for sitting down with us, Dr. Leo. Can you tell us a little bit about what's brought you to this place in your career and how you're using your personal experience in your professional work?

DR. LEO MOORE: Well, I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor since the age of five, and at the age of 25, I graduated from medical school and became a physician. This has been my life's passion and my life's work. Since graduating from medical school, I knew that I wanted to work in HIV treatment and prevention. I did a residency at Yale in internal medicine and primary care, then did a fellowship in health policy at UCLA and got a certification in HIV medicine. In January 2023, though, I had a pretty traumatic experience where I went in for an elective procedure, and actually went into cardiac arrest during the procedure. I was in cardiac arrest for nine minutes. After being revived and having some time to reflect, I came to the conclusion that I was meant to still be here, that my purpose on this earth was not done. And it recommitted me to my life's work and added a level of focus and intensity to fulfilling that purpose.

BLEU: Thank you for sharing that. Has it changed your stance or overall outlook on elective procedures? What would you share with anyone who may be thinking about taking part in one?

DR. LEO: Very great question. It doesn’t change my stance on elective procedures, I just think that everyone has to talk with their surgeon or their doctor and get the risks and benefits of it all and then make the best decision for themselves. That’s what we're taught in medical school: patient autonomy. So it doesn't change my stance on elective procedures, but I think that people should always ensure that they're getting adequate education about the risks and benefits to ultimately make the best decision for themselves.

BLEU: So let’s talk a little bit about the intersection of your work as it pertains to HIV prevention, championing LGBTQ plus rights, and the right to just be. What is the biggest challenge you find yourself coming across?

DR. LEO: The biggest challenge is the various laws that are being passed across the country. You know, as both a Black and gay man, I recognize the medical mistrust in our communities. There's a lot of intersectionality with having to deal with racism and discrimination in healthcare settings, and also recognizing that every time a new law is passed, it increases medical mistrust in the LGBTQ+ community as well. So many of our marginalized communities are affected by these different laws and it's really a ripple effect on those patients being comfortable coming into that. In my clinic, I mean, I can just think over the past four or five years, for example, with the LatinX population, there was concern among those who are undocumented being able to come into our clinic for care. There we are with LatinX, folks who we’re trying to help and they don’t believe us. And then when we look at some of the maternal morbidity issues across this country — Black infant mortality, Black maternal mortality — that is a current thing that creates more medical mistrust for Black people. There are all of these different trans laws that bar gender-affirming care for adolescents and youth, so we're dealing with this on all fronts while still trying to provide quality care and still trying to ensure that the various communities know that we are here for them, and that we want to provide the best possible service that we can.

BLEU: Awesome. So congratulations on being named Men's Health Magazine's Ultimate Guy for 2024! What does this recognition mean to you? How do you envision yourself using this platform in alignment with your work?

DR. LEO: Thanks so much. Being the 2024 Ultimate Guy is truly a full-circle moment for me. A I’m someone who always had a fascination with physical health but didn't have people to teach me how to take the best care of my body as far as exercise and diet. Men's Health was one of the first resources that I had access to in college, so using that as a guide on my health and wellness journey, to then be honored by the same magazine brings it all together. This platform has allowed me, and will continue to allow me, to have a space where I'm able to advocate for those living with HIV and those affected by HIV, and to expand in the space of the importance of overall health and wellness. I think, particularly for LGBTQ+ communities, there's such a focus on sexual health, so I want to ensure that we are expanding the discussion. As a Black physician, that also means ensuring that I have the space to talk about other health disparities that disproportionately affect our community. I represent all of the intersections of who I am and I will always advocate for those who have similar experiences.

BLEU: Awesome. So what can we expect next from you as 2024’s Ultimate Guy?

DR. LEO: A few things you can expect are the launch of an IG series called Longevity with Dr. Leo, and a monthly conversation with myself and other subject matter experts. I've also launched a Facebook group called The Fit 150 with the goal of motivating people to complete 150 minutes of cardio and two resistance training workouts per week. The members share their own experiences and motivate each other.

BLEU: Amazing. So one last thing: What words of encouragement do you have for anyone reading this who is dealing with some or all of the issues that you’ve discussed and thinks they have to do it alone?

DR. LEO: No matter how many times we fall, as long as we don't just lay there, we have not failed. So get up. I believe that change starts in the mind, so as soon as we decide that we want to be different, we are different. We have to continue to go in that direction, and continue to commit ourselves to fully becoming the person that we know, in our minds, we can be.