CFAR Congratulates Drs. Deeks and Havlir

April 19, 2022
CFAR Special Update

The UCSF Faculty Mentoring Program is pleased to announce the recipient of the

2022 Lifetime Achievement in Mentoring Award

Steven G. Deeks, MD

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Steven G. Deeks, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and a faculty member in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General. He is an internationally recognized expert on the impact of HIV and other viral infections on inflammation, immune function and health. Dr. Deeks has been the recipient of several NIH grants, and is one of the principal investigators of DARE (the Delaney AIDS Research Enterprise), an NIH-funded international collaboratory aimed at developing therapeutic interventions to cure HIV infection. He is also the current principal investigator of amfAR Institute for HIV Cure Research. Dr. Deeks was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and the Association of American Physicians (AAP), and serves on the scientific advisory board for Science Translational Medicine. By leveraging his HIV and now COVID cohorts, Dr. Deeks has contributed to the training of dozens of students, residents, fellows, and junior faculty and has co-mentored 14 K award-recipients. He received two consecutive K24 mentoring grants and currently co-directs an T32 HIV/AIDS training program. He co-chairs an annual three-day mentoring retreat in South Africa that trains early-stage investigators from around the world who are hoping to start a research program aimed at curing or preventing HIV. In addition to his research and mentoring activities, Dr. Deeks maintains a primary care clinic for people living with HIV.

2022 Holly Smith Award Recipient

Diane Havlir, MD

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I recall fondly how inspired I was having Dr. Smith as my first attending during residency at UCSF. He was not only visionary, but he was kind and compassionate to our patients. I am truly honored to receive this award in his name." - Diane Havlir, MD

Diane Havlir, MD, leverages her leadership positions and platform to have a massive impact on whatever she is working on in infectious diseases, whether it be getting to zero new infections, zero deaths, and zero stigma with HIV in the city of San Francisco, or mitigating COVID-19. As a pioneer of innovations in HIV care in San Francisco, Diane’s research continues towards her goal to accelerate the end of AIDS through the SEARCH-Sapphire study, which tests innovative prevention and treatment strategies intended to reach vulnerable populations left behind by current approaches. Her worldwide impact has elevated UCSF’s profile as the premier institution for HIV research. When the COVID-19 pandemic came to San Francisco, Diane immediately became a large part of the city’s response, advising the San Francisco Department of Public Health and starting a massive testing and vaccination program for LatinX populations in San Francisco, called Unidos en Salud. Diane’s multiple and important roles at UCSF do not call for her to perform public service at this level, but her desire to help affected communities with mass action campaigns drives these activities instead. As stated in her nomination: “She is a shining example of how to bring the same rigor and excellence to service as she does to her superlative academic work.”