A 4-minute watch

World Immunization Week is celebrated in the last week of April. Check out this cute video shared by IAVI explaining broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) and how the promising approach could get us one step closer to an HIV vaccine.

News from the CFAR

CFAR Members win School of Medicine Faculty Awards...

Congratulations to Dr. Dorothy Dow and Dr. Wilton Williams for being selected as recipients of this year’s School of Medicine faculty awards!

Dr. Dorothy Dow was awarded the Ruth and A. Morris Williams Faculty Research Prize, which was established to advance research opportunities for younger faculty members and to help publicize the caliber of medical research underway at Duke. The 2022 Williams Prize recognizes outstanding contributions in clinical science research. Dr. Dow is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases and an Assistant Research Professor at the Duke Global Health Institute. She is also an Associate Director of the CFAR Clinical Core.

Dr. Dow’s research focuses on prevention and treatment of HIV in pediatric populations with a special interest in adolescent and young adult (AYA) populations. Her research is primarily based in Tanzania with additional studies across sub-Saharan Africa and the U.S. focusing on the importance of mental health as a mediator of antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and viral outcomes. Dr. Dow is co-developer of a mental health and life skills intervention, Sauti ya Vijana (the Voice of Youth), to improve adherence and viral suppression among AYA living with HIV in Tanzania. She is also co-chair of IMPAACT 2016, a multi-site trial across four countries in Southern Africa to evaluate a group-based, peer-led intervention to improve mental health and ART adherence among youth living with HIV in low resource settings.

Says Dr. Dow, "I was completely shocked and deeply honored to receive this incredible award. So many outstanding researchers whom I deeply respect and emulate have been prior recipients and it is an absolute privilege to be among them. Thank you so much to the Williams family for creating this generous award and to the committee for recognizing the importance of both global health research and the critical population of adolescents and young adults living with HIV with whom I work and share this honor. I am overjoyed and deeply grateful."

Dr. Wilton Williams was selected to be part of the Whitehead Scholars Program. Dr. Williams is an Associate Professor of Surgery, Associate Professor of Medicine, and an Assistant Professor of Immunology. The Whitehead Scholars Program, supported through a gift from the Whitehead Charitable Foundation, help attracts and nurture the most promising biomedical researchers to the faculty at Duke University School of Medicine.

Says Dr. Williams, "I am truly humbled and grateful for this award to build my research program here at Duke!"

Read more about the SOM Faculty Awards.

... and Leadership in Sustainability Award!

Duke's 2022 Sustainability Awards recognize individuals who contributed to making Duke a greener and more equitable place. Dr. Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell, a Research Professor with the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) and Duke CFAR member, received the Outstanding Leadership in Sustainability Faculty award. Dr. Proeschold-Bell has long been an advocate for healthy and sustainable behaviors among her colleagues, ensuring team retreats are green and serving on DGHI’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion board. But during the pandemic, she did crucial behind-the-scenes work to keep some essential pieces of the institute’s work going.

With her global health projects fully funded during the pandemic, Dr. Proeschold-Bell worked to secure grants that provided additional funding to projects that focused on the wellbeing of teachers, strengthened Durham families, and supported clergy members pushing for social justice. “Her grants impact the sustainability of Duke economically and allow for the employment of additional staff,” wrote DGHI Research Program Leader Logan Tice, Dr. Proeschold-Bell’s nominator. “Her work also directly impacts the Durham community as well as BIPOC clergy across the state and teachers across the globe.”

Read more about the 2022 Sustainability Awards. 

Become a member of (or renew your membership for) the Inter-CFAR Collaboration on HIV Research in Women

The Inter-CFAR Collaboration on HIV Research in Women is a network of CFAR investigators dedicated to promoting cutting-edge science in HIV research and women, developing new strategies for future research to address HIV-related issues unique to women, and promoting career development and professional growth among junior investigators interested in this field. They are interested in addressing issues relevant to HIV and women at both a domestic and international level.

The working group has identified the following areas of interest:

• Networking among investigators with similar research interests
• Developing collaborative grant proposals
• Merging existing research cohorts
• Mentoring and reviewing grant proposals in development;
• Meeting annually at research symposia
• External review for CFAR Developmental Awards related to women and HIV

The Inter-CFAR Collaboration on HIV Research in Women is currently renewing their membership. 

If you are interested in joining the group, please complete the membership form. 

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