Walt Odets is a clinical psychologist and author. He has written on psychological and social issues concerning gay and bisexual men and gay communities, particularly in relation to the psychological issues of gay men living in and surviving the AIDS epidemic and the relations between HIV-positive and HIV-negative men. The spring 1996 issue of Positive Impact Journal called Odets “an important voice in the AIDS education and prevention arena.” Odets’ 1995 study, In the Shadow of the Epidemic: Being HIV-Negative in the Age of Aids, was listed by the New York Times as among the “Notable Books of the Year 1995.” Additionally, In the Shadow of the Epidemic was the No. 1 bestselling book purchased by gay men in the late fall of 1995, according to The Advocate, and was confirmed as a “Gay Bestseller of 1995” by the Feminist Bookstore News.