Mailman School of Public Health Experts for World AIDS Month 2008

Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health has extraordinary breadth and depth in the field of HIV/AIDS care and treatment. Its state-of-the-art research initiatives, world-renowned faculty, and global partnerships contribute to the School’s broad reach and impact.

Mailman School experts:

Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, professor of clinical Epidemiology and director of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, is also professor of clinical Medicine at Columbia’s College of Physicians and Surgeons and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Harlem Hospital Center. A global leader in the field of infectious disease and public health, Dr. El-Sadr has redefined the field with innovative models of prevention, care, and treatment for HIV and tuberculosis.

For more information on Dr. El-Sadr and an interview on the challenges and rewards of her work:
Interview

Jessica Justman, MD, associate professor of clinical Medicine and Epidemiology and associate director for the Mailman School’s Center for Infectious Disease Epidemiologic Research (CIDER), is an expert on experimental vaginal microbicides for the prevention of HIV infection. Dr. Justman’s latest research summarizes preclinical and clinical research on the development of topical vaginal microbicides and describes the move toward a more tailored approach to microbicide development, made possible by progress in understanding the mechanisms of HIV infection. She is also a leading researcher on the metabolic side-effects of HIV in women, having published the first study on the association between protease inhibitors and the incidence of diabetes.

Richard Parker, PhD, director of the Center for Gender, Sexuality and Health and professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, and president of the Brazilian Interdisciplinary AIDS Association (ABIA), has conducted long-term research on the social and political dimensions of HIV/AIDS in Brazil since the early 1980s, as well as works on comparative studies carried out in Asia, Africa, North America and other parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. He served as chief of the Prevention Unit for the Brazilian National AIDS Program, is president of ABIA, and serves on the Board of Directors of ICASO, the International Council of AIDS Service Organizations.

Alan Berkman, MD, vice chair, Department of Epidemiology, associate clinical professor of Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, is involved in the development of comprehensive programs to address the global AIDS epidemic and building the capacity of healthcare and research programs in resource-limited countries. His background includes clinical care of patients with HIV and formal training in behavioral approaches to HIV prevention.

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The International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health is a global leader in the expansion of HIV programs and a key implementing partner for United States government-funded grants to support international HIV services. As of late 2008 more than 500,000 people are receiving care in nearly 700 ICAP-supported sites in 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. ICAP also supported almost 10 percent of all individuals and 12 percent of all children receiving antiretroviral treatment in sub-Saharan Africa.

About the Mailman School of Public Health
The only accredited school of public health in New York City, and among the first in the nation, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health provides instruction and research opportunities to more than 1000 graduate students in pursuit of masters and doctoral degrees. Its students and more than 300 multi-disciplinary faculty engage in research and service in the city, nation, and around the world, concentrating on biostatistics, environmental health sciences, epidemiology, health policy and management, population and family health, and sociomedical sciences. www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu