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About Us

IDEA Exchange

Global Department CTA Block

The IDEA Exchange opened its doors on December 1, 2016, on World AIDS Day, as the first pilot Syringe Services Program in Florida.

Hansel Tookes, M.D., M.P.H., professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Miller School and medical director of IDEA., spearheaded the years-long effort for state approval of the Infectious Disease Elimination Act, for which the center is named.

Operating within the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, the IDEA Exchange provides:

  • Anonymous exchange of new syringes for used ones 
  • Increased access to harm reduction services to reduce the spread of HIV, Hepatitis C, and other blood-borne diseases
  • Substance use disorder treatment
  • HIV prevention, testing, and treatment
  • Hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing and treatment
  • Wound care
  • Medication management
  • Appointment reminders
  • Peer navigation for care and social services such as housing and health insurance

Learn more about our locations and services today.

 

Our Medical Faculty

David Serota, M.D.

David P. Serota, M.D., M.Sc.

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Infectious Diseases
Publications
Biography: I grew up in Miami and graduated from the Miller School of Medicine. After further medical training in Portland, Oregon and Atlanta, Georgia, I moved back to join the faculty in 2019. I am board certified in internal medicine, infectious diseases, and addiction medicine.
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Hansel Tookes

Hansel Tookes, M.D., M.P.H.

Professor of Medicine, Infectious Diseases

Biography: Hansel Tookes is a tenured Professor of Medicine at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is founder of the IDEA Lab whose mission is to implement, disseminate, educate, and advocate for the health of people who use drugs. His lab also houses the IDEA syringe services program – the first legal program in Florida. Dr. Tookes spent five years advocating in the...
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Katrina Ciraldo

Katrina Ciraldo, M.D.

Assistant Professor, Clinical

Biography: Dr Ciraldo is a double board-certified Family Physician and Addiction Medicine specialist with a focus on harm reduction, women’s health and pregnancy. She is trained to care for pregnant women with substance use disorders with an intradisciplinary approach. Before starting at University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital in November 2021, she completed the Primary Care...
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 Teresa A. Chueng, M.D., MPH

Teresa A. Chueng, M.D., M.P.H.

Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases
Publications
Biography: As a native Texan, Dr. Teresa Chueng moved to Miami to complete her internal medicine residency and infectious disease fellowship. In 2022, she joined as faculty in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Dr. Chueng is passionate about the intersection of infectious diseases with addiction medicine. She...
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