UCSF-GIVI Center for AIDS Research

Dr. Greene's laboratory focuses on the pathogenic interplay of the HIV-1 and HTLV-I human retroviruses with cells of the immune system and the diseases that may result, AIDS and the Adult T-cell Leukemia (ATL), respectively. Additionally, his lab investigates the molecular underpinnings of HIV transmission in the female genital tract. More | Mentor_Directory

Dr. Grunfeld's laboratory studies the metabolic disturbances that occur during infection. His major focuses are changes in lipid metabolism and energy balance. Using intact animals, his lab determines the physiological consequences of the host response to infection and define the cytokine mediators. More | Mentor_Directory

During the last 19 years, Dr. Levy and his researchers have focused on biologic, immunologic, and molecular studies of the AIDS virus, emphasizing viral and immunologic features of HIV pathogenesis and long-term survival. Dr. Levy's group was one of the first to identify HIV, calling it the AIDS-associated retrovirus. Mentor_Directory

Dr. Liegler's interests focus on areas of translational research in HIV infection and disease. The Laboratory of Clinical Virology develops and implements virologic assays and services to qualitatively and quantitatively assess HIV-1 in a variety of tissue compartments. The goal of this research is to better understand viral transmission, fitness, response to drug treatment, and effective vaccine design. More | Mentor_Directory

The main research focus of my laboratory is on the definition of pathogenic mechanisms of viral diseases, particularly HIV disease. This focus has spanned a range of fields, from understanding critical structural determinants of infectivity, to devising a small animal model (the SCID-hu Thy/Liv mouse) to study HIV pathogenesis and to prioritize antiretroviral compounds against HIV.
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Dr. Norris is in the vanguard of the research into the effects of HIV on the immune system. His group has focused on the role CD4+ T cells play in immune response to HIV (CD4+ T cells play a crucial role in the immune response, signaling other cells in the immune system to perform their special functions.) The group has demonstrated that HIV-specific CD4+ T cells can suppress virus replication. Applications for this research could lead to a method of long-term suppression of HIV and the need for current medications with severe side effects may be reduced. More | Mentor_Directory

Dr. Peterlin studies the molecular basis of the class II bare lymphocyte syndrome, a congenital severe combined immunodeficiency whose primary feature is the lack of expression of MHC class II determinants on lymphoid cells. Additionally, he studies the regulatory and accessory proteins of HIV that cause AIDS. More | Mentor_Directory

Dr. Tien's research interest is in the study of metabolic consequences of HCV and HIV infection, particularly insulin resistance, lipodystrophy, and hepatic steatosis and its impact on long term outcomes such as liver and cardiovascular disease. Her research has been primarily focused in large clinical cohorts including the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) and the Study of Fat Redistribution and Metabolic Change in HIV infection (FRAM). As part of her research work, she is also investigating novel non-invasive methods to measure steatosis and fibrosis including magnetic resonance spectroscopy and transient elastography. Mentor_Directory

Dr. Wong's research Interests include HIV latency and persistence Neuropathogenesis of HIV. Mentor_Directory

Dr. Francesca Aweeka's accomplishments are in the ares of antiviral pharmacologic research, teaching and clinical work related to kidney transplantation and HIV. Her primary research includes assessing the pharmacokinetics of antiretrovirals in the crerbrospinal fluid and relating measures of exposure to declining viral load. Mentor_Directory

Dr. Buchbinder's research focuses on testing biomedical and behavioral interventions to reduce HIV acquisition, including HIV vaccines and pre-exposure prophylaxis. She also collaborates with a number of basic scientists to identify mechanisms for delayed HIV disease progression in her cohort of long-term nonprogressors. Mentor_Directory

Grant Colfax, MD, is Director of the HIV Prevention and Research Section in the San Francisco Department of Public Health AIDS Office. Dr. Colfax is an NIH- and CDC-funded research scientist whose main focus is on developing interventions to reduce HIV and HIV risk behavior in substance-using populations. Most recently, his research has focused on the relationship between methamphetamine use and HIV risk behavior among men who have sex with men (MSM). He is currently Principal Investigator of several behavioral and pharmacologic interventions to reduce methamphetamine use and HIV risk behavior. Dr. Colfax has authored multiple papers on the relationship between drug use and sexual risk which have appeared in peer-reviewed journals. In addition to his research activities, Dr. Colfax is a clinician at the University of California’s Positive Health Program, where he treats persons with AIDS and those at high-risk for HIV. More | Mentor_Directory

Dr. Deeks is a Professor of Medicine in Residence at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and a faculty member in the Positive Health Program (AIDS Program) at San Francisco General Hospital. Dr. Deeks has been engaged in HIV research and clinical care since 1993. He is a recognized expert of the immunopathogenesis of HIV, and works from a clinical perspective on identifying how the virus and host interact to cause disease, and how to translate information learned from such studies into the clinic. He currently directs a large research program dedicated to the investigation of the pathogenesis and management of antiretroviral treatment failure. He has published over 150 peer-review articles on these and related topics. In addition to his clinical and translational investigation, Dr. Deeks maintains a primary care clinic for HIV infected patients, and is a member of the Department on Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. He is also a member of a number of professional societies, including the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Mentor_Directory

Dr. Greenblatt works to provide HIV-infected women with comprehensive care services that include HIV expert care, state-of-the-art gynecologic and obstetric services and social work-case management. She has authored dozens of publications, including "Effectiveness of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Among HIV-1 Infected Women," presented at the 1999 National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS. More | Mentor_Directory

Dr. Greenspan's research interests include the oral aspects of AIDS and the role of viruses in oral epithelial and salivary gland lesions. He and his colleagues have made major contributions to HIV research and care, notably the discovery of the lesion hairy leukoplakia, its association with EBV, and the significance of this and other oral lesions in the natural history of HIV diseases. Mentor_Directory

Dr. Havlir is Chief of the HIV/AIDS Positive Health Program at SFGH, Professor of Medicine at UCSF, and Principal Investigator for the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group. She spearheaded early studies of opportunistic infection, treatment and prophylaxis, and conducted pivotal studies on nevirapine viral dynamics, antiretroviral therapeutic strategies, and HIV drug resistance. She is currently directing several antiretroviral treatment trials, and is the principal investigator on two international trials of HIV and co-infections (TB & Malaria). Mentor_Directory

Dr. Huang is Professor of Medicine at UCSF and has dual faculty appointments in the HIV/AIDS Division (Positive Health Program) and the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at SFGH. Dr. Huang's main clinical and clinical research interests are in HIV-associated pulmonary diseases, including Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), tuberculosis (TB), bacterial pneumonia, HIV-associated chronic obstructive lung diseases, and HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension. He has clinical and translational research collaborations with co investigators at the National Institutes of Health, the University of Cincinnati, the University of North Carolina, the University of Pittsburgh, the University of Washington, the University of Colorado, University College, London, United Kingdom, and Makerere University Kampala, Uganda as well as colleagues at San Francisco General Hospital and University of California, San Francisco. In addition, Dr. Huang is PI, International HIV-associated Opportunistic Pneumonias (IHOP) Study; Co-PI, Lung Microbiome in Cohorts of HIV-Infected Persons (Lung MicroCHIP) Study; Chair (2009-2010) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Lung HIV Study. Mentor_Directory

Dr. Jacobson's research aims to understand the immunologic correlates of protective immunity and develop effective vaccines for cytomegalovirus (CMV) and HIV infection. His recent publications include, "Results of a CMV-Specific CD8+/IFNgamma+ Cytokine Flow Cytometry Assay Correlate with Clinical Evidence of Protective Immunity in AIDS Patients with CMV Retinitis" in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. More | Mentor_Directory

Dr. Kahn is a Professor of Medicine at UCSF and located in the Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital. He is responsible for the CFAR Mentoring Program. His research involves electronic health records and outcomes research utilizing large clinical databases such as the HERO database used at SFGH. He is also interested in applying technology to develop online behavioral interventions, utilize clinical guidelines and decision support to improve healthcare. Mentor_Directory

Dr. Martin's current research interests are in the areas of the epidemiology of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)/Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in the U.S. and Africa, the long-term consequences of highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection, and post-exposure prophylaxis against HIV infection after sexual or injection drug use exposure. Mentor_Directory

Dr. Volberding's professional activities centered for many years at SFGH, where he established a model program of AIDS patient care, research, and professional education. A co-discoverer of HIV, his research career began with investigations of HIV-related malignancies, especially Kaposis Sarcoma. His primary research focus, however, shifted to clinical trials of antiretroviral drugs.
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Mallory Johnson is associate professor in the Department of Medicine's Division of Prevention Science, where he conducts research with the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS). He received his doctorate in clinical medical psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, completed a postdoctoral fellowship at UCSF in the Departments of Medicine and Psychiatry, and is a licensed psychologist in the State of California. His primary research interests lie within the context of empowerment of patients in their HIV treatment. Dr. Johnson is currently the principal investigator of four NIH-funded studies using observational or randomized, controlled trial designs to investigate the roles of patient factors and HIV treatment adherence, side effects management, and decision making about initiating HIV treatment. He serves as faculty on postdoctoral training programs in integrative medicine, psychology and health, and the Traineeships in AIDS Prevention Studies (TAPS) program at CAPS. He was named the 2007 Emerging Leader in Psychology and AIDS by the American Psychological Association. More | Mentor_Directory

Dr. Morin is a Professor of Medicine, and Chief of the Division of Prevention Science in the Department of Medicine. He is Director of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) and the AIDS Policy Research Center (APRC). He is also Associate Director of the UCSF Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). Mentor_Directory

Dr. Page-Shafer is an epidemiologist recognized internationally for her work on prevention and transmission factors in HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. She has been active in the development and implementation of new proposals aimed at evaluating the safety and efficacy of chemoprophylactic therapy to prevent HIV-1 acquisition internationally. She has ongoing studies in California of HCV infection in young injection drug users (UFO Study) and among incarcerated populations. She is the faculty Director of Latin American for the International Scholars Training Program at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS). More | Mentor_Directory