Following his involvement in a conference organised by London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, he worked with Martyn Butler and Tony Whitehead to develop the Terrence Higgins Trust into a registered charity, helping to establish its educational, mental health, and buddying services, and raising awareness in the media.
Following the completion of his first degree in 1984, Whitaker was awarded a fellowship to the University of Toronto, Canada to train in psychiatry and bio-behavioural science around HIV.
Dr Whitaker continued his work in social justice around health during his studies and led the international response to anti-HIV immigration and travels laws in the USA.
Based on his published research in public health with Richard Edwards, he prompted the International AIDS Society to boycott the US as the location of any future IAS conferences until the laws were changed.
Dr Whitaker has been an Expert Adviser to the Department of Health UK and a member of numerous committees for specialised commissioning and expert advice on medical research and health service delivery, while also acting as a referee for the British Medical Journal, Blood, AIDS, and being on the editorial board for the International Journal of User-Driven Healthcare.
He has published over 70 academic and policy papers in the fields of psychiatry, immunology, neurology, and public health, most as first author, and has had honorary senior fellowships at various universities.
The Tuke Institute is an independent research organisation of international scientists, clinicians and other professionals that promotes a biopsychosocial framework for integrated health-services.