Thomas J. Coates is a professor of medicine, epidemiology, and biostatistics at the University of California at San Francisco and director and principal investigator of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at UCSF. In addition, Coates is director of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute and the Traineeships in AIDS Prevention Program, a postdoctoral fellowship program funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Coates was one of the first behavioral scientists to conduct research on HIV primary and secondary prevention. Both the Office of AIDS Research at the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization seek Coates' advice on AIDS research. Coates is a member of the National Mental Health Advisory Council of the National Institute of Mental Health and vicechair of the board of directors of the National AIDS Fund. Throughout his career, Coates has conducted theory-based research on health-related behavior, with an emphasis on interventions to prevent disease and to promote health. He is extensively published and has received numerous awards for his research and service.