2016 Archive | University of Maryland School of Medicine

November 22, 2016

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine announced today more than $138 million in multiple five-year grants awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to combat HIV/AIDS in Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Nigeria. The Institute concurrently announced the formation of the IHV Center for International Health, Education, & Biosecurity (CIHEB), and its newly appointed director, Deus Bazira Mubangizi, DrPH, MBA, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director, Center for Health, Education, & Biosecurity, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. The Center, in addition to the significant new funding, is the culmination of more than a decade of designing and implementing successful global health programs through unparalleled leadership and a talented team who dedicate their lives to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

"Since 2004, the IHV has been awarded close to an astonishing $926 million from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program initiated by President George W. Bush and continued by President Barack Obama," said Robert C. Gallo, MD, The Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, Co-founder, Director, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, who is most widely known for his co-discovery of HIV as the cause of AIDS, and for the development of the HIV blood test. Dr. Gallo is also Co-founder and Scientific Director of the Global Virus Network (GVN).

"It goes without saying that the establishment of our Center for International Health, Education, & Biosecurity is long overdue," said Dr. Gallo. "Dr. Mubangizi has led much of our recent PEPFAR program success, and I have no doubt he will continue to build upon the Institute's expertise and extend our reach in other regions of the world to end HIV/AIDS and related illnesses. I am proud of our faculty and staff who are committed to helping developing nations prevent and address infectious diseases, and build infrastructures that better protect humanity from biosecurity threats."

"Our global program's success is attributed to the bold vision of my colleagues and IHV co-founders, Dr. Robert Redfield and Dr. William Blattner, who is now retired," said Dr. Gallo. "They have led teams who dreamt big, achieved immense success including caring for well over one million individuals overseas, and pioneered programs that now serve as public health models worldwide. I congratulate both on the launch of this new and already prominent Center."

"Building a team at the IHV which will continue to make a significant impact on global health through this new Center is a great source of personal pride for me and all of my colleagues involved," said Robert Redfield, MD, Professor of Medicine, Co-founder, Associate Director, Director, Division of Clinical Care and Research, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine. "Seeing Dr. Mubangizi take the reins of our varying global programs ensures that the strong foundation that we laid since 2004 is just the beginning of the IHV's impact on international health, education, and biosecurity."

Dr. Mubangizi's research interests include diffusion of health innovations, interdependence between public-private health partnerships, private health insurance, health financing under decentralized systems, pharmaceutical regulation, hospital governance and efficient models for delivery of primary care services in resource-limited settings. His experience comprises ten countries from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

In his role as the Institute's CIHEB Director, Dr. Mubangizi will facilitate unique partnerships between academia, foreign governments, and community organizations to help developing nations learn how to diagnose, treat, and prevent their own AIDS and related epidemics.

"I look forward to building upon the work done over the past twelve years within the IHV's Division of Clinical Care and Research and Division of Epidemiology and Prevention to strengthen public health infrastructures overseas through strategic international, national, and local collaborations," said Dr. Mubangizi. "Through the design and implementation of our combined evidence-driven unique education, training, and treatment service delivery programs, we will better address each country's complex HIV/AIDS and other public health epidemics with an integrated approach that will extend into overall infectious disease protection."

Dr. Mubangizi continued, "The next era of our work will be built on a foundation of strong scientific evidence, leveraging technology in all its forms to improve efficiency and undertake key implementation science research that will ensure effectiveness of interventions across the three pillars of health, education and biosecurity. Most importantly everything we do will start with the end in mind – promoting solutions that are home grown and sustainable. Further, I hope to seek opportunities that will foster collaboration between the Institute and other departments and Schools at the University of Maryland, Baltimore with similar interests."

Over the past twelve years, the IHV has partnered with the governments of Botswana, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia to coordinate a global response to the AIDS pandemic.

CIHEB's new $138 million in PEPFAR funding will build upon the IHV's existing programs, including $97.5 million awarded to the IHV in the previous 18 months to combat infectious disease in Botswana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zambia. The new $138 million in grant funding includes the following:

$20 million to partner with the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) to support the Kenyan Ministry of Health's efforts to strengthen interventions, program development, and polices regarding the country's public health practices related to non-infectious and infectious diseases in Kenya.
$35 million to collaborate with the Nairobi city council and government of Kenya to provide technical assistance for the prevention, care, and treatment of HIV and infectious disease services within inner city Nairobi, and to support the growth of Kenya's first Methadone treatment center through the expansion of services targeted at key populations and hard to reach groups.
$50 million to support the implementation and expansion of comprehensive, integrated, high quality HIV prevention care and treatment services to the population of Kenya's Kisii and Migori counties through the establishment of effective and sustainable public health systems with accountably and oversight.
$12.5 million to support the expansion of effective, high quality, sustainable, and comprehensive HIV prevention, care, and treatment services in 12 target regions of Tanzania that include 90 districts, local and national government authorities, as well as local partners and organizations.
$12.5 million to partner with the government of Zambia to develop and implement community interventions to end the transmission of HIV infection and to provide an infrastructure that facilitates linkage to care and sustained viral suppression.
$8 million to support the government of Nigeria in the development of a robust data quality assessment and improvement system and the implementation of an outcome evaluations program targeting HIV epidemic control; and, to study varying interventions to identify gaps in HIV health care driving significant loss of care among adolescents.

The CIHEB Team In Various Locations:

Nigeria:

Tanzania:

Zambia:

For more information, visit www.ciheb.ihv.org.

About the Institute of Human Virology

Formed in 1996 as a partnership between the State of Maryland, the City of Baltimore, the University System of Maryland, and the University of Maryland Medical System, the IHV is an institute of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is home to some of the most globally-recognized and world-renowned experts in all of virology. The IHV combines the disciplines of basic research, epidemiology, and clinical research in a concerted effort to speed the discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics for a wide variety of chronic and deadly viral and immune disorders - most notably, HIV the virus that causes AIDS. For more information, visit www.ihv.org and follow us on Twitter @IHVmaryland.

Contact

Institute of Human Virology
Jennifer Gonzales
Public Relations & Communications Manager
jennifer.gonzales@ihv.umaryland.edu

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) received an annual award for $3 million funded by the NIH Office of AIDS Research. The PFAP award is projected to total approximately $9 million over four years. Principal Investigators are Elana Rosenthal, MD and Sarah Kattakuzhy, MD, MPH.

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Two-Time Lasker Awardee and Internationally Acclaimed Virologist, Robert C. Gallo, MD, To Step Down as Director of UM School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology (IHV)

Robert C. Gallo, MD, one of the world’s leading virologists and cancer researchers, announced he has stepped down from his position as Director of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), effective March 24.

Monday, October 31, 2022

NCI Grants Awarded to IHV to Prevent Cancer and Improve Screening in Sub-Saharan Africa

Institute of Human Virology (IHV) researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) have received two five-year awards from the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a total of $7.5 million. One award aims to reduce the incidence of lung cancer and other cancers associated with using tobacco in Botswana. The other is focusing on improving screening and treatment of anal precancer in Nigeria. Both grants will make use of existing HIV treatment and prevention infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries to reach people living with HIV who are most at risk for these particular types of cancers.

Friday, May 20, 2022

NIH Grant Awarded to Study HIV Drug-Resistant Genetic Mutations Across Africa

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM)’s Institute of Human Virology (IHV) researchers received funding from the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for $2.7 million to study genetic changes in two genes from the HIV-1 virus that may make it resistant to antiretroviral therapy. The study, named INSPIRE, will analyze genetic variation in types of HIV circulating in a handful of African countries that will help to better understand the implications of these mutations and will improve clinical management of patients.

Wednesday, December 01, 2021

$6.5M Grant Awarded to Develop Treatment for Alcoholic Liver Disease-Associated Kidney Dysfunction

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and MitoPower LLC (“MitoPower”) were awarded an SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) grant of up to $6.5 million over five years from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The funds will support the development of MitoPower’s lead compound, MP-04, for the treatment of kidney dysfunction due to alcoholic liver disease, a condition known as alcoholic liver disease-associated hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). The IHV, a Center of Excellence member of the Global Virus Network (GVN), will conduct first-in-human single and multiple ascending dose studies to test the safety of the compound, followed by a Phase 1b study in patients.

Monday, December 21, 2020

Robert Gallo of the UM School of Medicine Institute of Human Virology and Global Virus Network Awarded Top Life Sciences and Medicine Prize from China

Robert C. Gallo, MD, The Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, co-founder and director of the Institute Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and co-founder and international scientific advisor of the Global Virus Network, was awarded the “VCANBIO Award for Biosciences and Medicine,” a significant and authoritative award in the life sciences and medicine field of China. The elite Prize is jointly presented by the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the VCANBIO CELL & GENE ENGINEERING CORP, LTD to push forward scientific research, technological innovation and continuous development in the life sciences and medicine field of China.

Monday, October 12, 2020

WJLA (Washington, DC): How long can you spread coronavirus once infected? We found out.

Social distancing, hand hygiene and face masks can help curb the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus but if you do get sick, how long can you spread COVID to others? 7 On Your Side went looking for answers.

Monday, August 31, 2020

UM School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology Recruits Top HIV/AIDS Epidemiologist Shenghan Lai Along with Team of Researchers

Robert C. Gallo, MD, the Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, Co-founder and Director of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and Man E. Charurat, PhD, MHS, Professor of Medicine, Director of the Division of Epidemiology & Prevention and CIHEB Global Director at the IHV, announced today that Shenghan Lai, MD, MPH and Hong Lai, PhD, MPH, in addition to three staff members, and two more to add, have joined the Institute of Human Virology. The faculty began their positions on April 1 with Professor and Associate Professor academic appointments in the UMSOM’s Department of Epidemiology & Public Health.

Tuesday, June 02, 2020

UM School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology Awarded Grants to Strengthen COVID-19 Response in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Center for International Health, Education and Biosecurity (Ciheb) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology was awarded $4 million from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response activities in Botswana, Nigeria, Malawi, and Mozambique.

Monday, June 24, 2019

UM School of Medicine's Institute of Human Virology Awarded $40 Million Grant to Conduct HIV Population Surveys

Man Charurat, MD, Professor of Medicine, Director, Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity (CIHEB), and Director, Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has been awarded a five-year grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct HIV population-based HIV impact assessments worldwide to measure the progress towards the control of the HIV epidemic

Thursday, March 21, 2019

IHV Experts Researching Experimental Drug to Curb Opioid Cravings

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology (IHV) are collaborating with scientists at the National Institutes of Health to test an experimental drug to curb opioid cravings.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Institute of Human Virology's Shyam Kottilil to Receive National Award from American College of Physicians

The American College of Physicians announced that Shyam Kottilil, MBBS, PhD, FACP, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Clinical Care and Research at the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, was awarded the American College of Physicians (ACP) Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Award #1 from the Rosenthal Family Foundation.

Tuesday, December 04, 2018

Institute of Human Virology Researchers Discover That a Bacterial Protein Promotes Cancer

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) announced today the discovery that DnaK, a protein of the bacterium mycoplasma, interferes with the mycoplasma-infected cell’s ability to respond to and repair DNA damage, a known origin of cancer.

Monday, December 03, 2018

Institute of Human Virology Names Dr. Man Charurat as Director of the Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine today announced the appointment of Man E. Charurat, PhD, MHS, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Epidemiology and Prevention at the IHV as the Director of IHV’s Center for International Health, Education, and Biosecurity (CIHEB). Dr. Charurat will replace Deus Bazira, DrPH, MPH, MBA. The announcement was made by Robert C. Gallo, MD, The Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, Co-Founder and Director of the IHV, and Co-Founder and Director of the Global Virus Network (GVN).

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Institute of Human Virology Hosts 20th Annual International Meeting of Top Medical Virus Researchers in Baltimore, Maryland

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine yesterday commenced IHV’s 20th Annual International Meeting, to be held through Thursday, October, 25 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. This year, among other viral and cancer related topics, the meeting is holding special sessions on the 40th anniversary of the first human retrovirus, Human T cell Leukemia Virus (HTLV), and the 15th anniversary of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). IHV’s Annual International Meeting attracts hundreds of elite scientists who descend upon Baltimore to share ideas and inspire medical virus research collaborations.

Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Institute of Human Virology (IHV) Awarded $12M to Combat Opioid Epidemic Through Clinical Research Trials

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine will lead a $12 million dollar project to improve the morbidity and mortality of people with opioid use disorder (OUD). Utilizing a novel compound, IHV researches will implement a series of investigations, entitled SEARCH, to evaluate the underlying mechanisms of craving reduction as a strategy to prevent opioid misuse, dependence, and relapse. The grant is awarded through the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative, made possible through groundbreaking funding from the U.S. Congress.

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Dr. Robert Redfield, Co-Founder of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, to Become CDC Director

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) congratulates its co-founder and associate director, Robert R. Redfield, MD, on his appointment to be the next director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

UMSOM Cancer Expert at Institute of Human Virology Named Fellow of American Society of Clinical Oncology

Clement A. Adebamowo, BM, ChB, ScD, FWACS, FACS, Associate Director of Population Science at the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, Institute of Human Virology, has been named a 2018 Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

IHV Releases Data Supporting Community-Based Treatment Providers in Fight Against Hepatitis C

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine released data today at The International Liver Congress 2016 in Barcelona, Spain demonstrating that treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) can be provided safely and effectively within a community-based and non-specialist setting.

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

A Statement from the Leadership of the Institute of Human Virology on World AIDS Day

Research enabled treatment to be developed for HIV/AIDS, allowing the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (which Dr. Gallo heads and co-founded with his colleagues Drs. William Blattner and Robert Redfield) to develop a promising HIV vaccine candidate, treat nearly 6,000 patients annually in Baltimore, and care for more than 1 million people in Africa and the Caribbean since 2004.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Institute of Human Virology Hosts International Meeting of Prominent AIDS Researchers

The Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine is hosting IHV’s 17th Annual International Meeting Sunday, September 27 through Wednesday, September 30 at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland.

IHV Awarded $138M to combat HIV/AIDS in Africa & Launches Center for International Health, Education, & Biosecurity