Peter Jepson-Young

Peter Jepson-Young, M.D. (1957–1992), better known as simply Dr. Peter, was a medical doctor in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who promoted AIDS and HIV awareness and education in the early 1990s through his regular segment on CBC Television news broadcasts called The Dr. Peter Diaries. In this series, Dr. Peter documented his own experiences as a person with AIDS. Dr. Peter used honesty, pathos and humour to share his experience. The documentary was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Background

He was born in New Westminster, British Columbia in 1957 and raised in Nanaimo, and North Vancouver, British Columbia. After graduation in 1975 from Delbrook Senior Secondary School in North Vancouver, he attended medical school at the University of British Columbia in the 1980s and did his residency in Ottawa, Ontario. On September 29, 1986, he was diagnosed with AIDS, soon after completing his medical training.

The Dr. Peter Diaries

By 1989 Jepson-Young was unable to continue his medical practice due to his failing health. Turning his attention to AIDS education, in 1990 Jepson-Young began the Dr. Peter Diaries with five episodes airing on the CBC Early Evening News . Through these short segments, in which he was only referred to as “Dr. Peter”, he shared his experiences with the general public. Most viewers were not aware of his surname until after his death. The Diaries did much to educate the general public about AIDS and HIV and put a human face on the disease. Dr. Peter continued the series through 111 episodes,spanning two years from September 1990 up to his death in November 1992.