The Model of the Doctor-Patient Relationship

One of photos is my office is a picture of John Washburn and Steve Scheibel.

John was the superintendent in Brighton schools, and he was one of the first people in Rochester, around 1987-88, to come out and identify as a person living with AIDS. He gave it a face.

I heard from one of John’s students recently, about how in 1988 when he came out one of the first people he talked to was John Washburn. John was a great mentor, educator and good friend.

This photo speaks to the connection between patients and physicians. If you look at the expression and the body language of John and Steve, it tells the whole story of that era.

John Washburn, left, meeting with Dr. Steve Scheibel. Provided by Dr. Bill Valenti.

I keep the photo here as a memento of two good friends and what they meant to me.

I was Scheibel’s mentor and he was my student. After a while, things flipped and he was my mentor because that was one very smart guy who really understood HIV from the community level to what going on under the microscope. We were very good friends for a very long time. I really miss him.

Bill Valenti, left, and John Washburn. Provided by Dr. Bill Valenti

I had never met anybody quite like John Washburn. We met very early during my coming out.

We had a brief but memorable fling, and I remained a friend throughout his life. I learned a lot from John. He was a smart guy.

I had never seen a man in drag before I met John. One night after one of his dinner parties, he dressed up. I still have some of the costumes.

Those were good days. They were difficult days.

The things that happened in those days I’ll carry with me all the rest of my days.