Lora Branch is the STD/HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Program Director for the Chicago Department of Public Health. As the department head, Branch works with the community to prevent and help treat HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases ( STDs ) as well as to promote the best health-related service for those living with STDs, HIV, and AIDS. For more information, please visit www.cdph.org .
Favorite childhood memory: That was probably when I sat on this big orange pillow in a corner of my parents' home. I pretended that it was a throne and I sat on it thinking, 'I'm going to do great things one day.'
Favorite video game: Ms. PacMan, of course.
Favorite thing about Chicago: I would say the lake. I love looking at it. I try to look at it all the time; doing that brings me a lot of peace.
Least favorite thing about Chicago: The first thing that comes to mind is the arctic weather; I would definitely say the hawk ( a term for the freezing weather we get ) .
Favorite dessert: Chocolate of any kind.
Choice—Cell phone or cable TV?: Cell phone, definitely. I'd rather be able to communicate.
Choice—Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse?: Definitely Bugs Bunny; he's so much cooler.
Choice—Prince's '80s hits or Michael Jackson's '80s hits?: [ Long pause. ] Wow—that's a tough one. I'll have to go with MJ. He had more hits, although Prince's hits remind me of high school.
Choice—Halle Berry or Angelina Jolie?: Oh, Halle. She's a beautiful, around-the-way girl.
Choice—Creativity or logic?: Creativity, of course. In creativity, there is logic—not the other way around.