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GVN Virology: July 13-19, 2014
Confirmed Faculty
Robert C. Gallo
Prof. Robert Gallo is Founder and Director of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) at the University of
Maryland. Prior to this role, he spent 30 years at the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer
Institute, where he was head of its Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology. Dr. Gallo is
renowned for his research on HIV, most notably his co-discovery in 1984 that HIV is
the cause of AIDS. His research has been instrumental to the development of HIV
blood tests and HIV therapies. In 1996, his discovery that a natural compound
known as chemokines can block HIV and halt the progression of AIDS was hailed by
Science magazine as one of that year’s most important scientific breakthroughs. Dr.
Gallo’s current work at the IHV combines the disciplines of research, patient care,
and prevention programs in a concerted effort to speed the pace of medical
breakthroughs. Dr. Gallo has authored more than 1,200 scientific publications, as well as the book
"Virus Hunting: AIDS, Cancer & the Human Retrovirus: A Story of Scientific Discovery." Dr. Gallo has
been awarded 31 honorary doctorates and was twice a recipient of the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical
Research Award (1982 and 1986). He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the
Institute of Medicine.
William Blattner
William A. Blattner, MD is Co-Founder and Associate Director of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV)
and Professor of Medicine and Chief, Division of Cancer Epidemiology at University of Maryland,
School of Medicine. He is an internationally recognized authority on HIV/AIDS and has a long track
record of domestic and global health leadership. He co-founded the Institute of
Human Virology at the University of Maryland with Drs. Robert C. Gallo and Robert
R. Redfield. He is a pioneer in research studies of the first human retrovirus, HTLV-1
and the AIDS virus, HIV-1. Blattner not only has substantial experience of direct
relevance to HIV program management, he is also is an internationally recognized
research scientist who has authored or co-authored over 350 peer reviewed papers,
70 book chapters and made numerous scientific presentations at national and
international meetings. He has served in advisory capacity to NIH, CDC, US Military
and to numerous pharmaceutical and biomedical industry leaders. From 2003 – 2012, he has served
as a Mayoral appointee to the Baltimore Commission on HIV/AIDS and provided strategic guidance
to the City and its Health Department on implementing well- coordinated and evidence-based
programs.
C. David Pauza
Dr. Pauza received the PhD in 1981 from the University of California, Berkeley. From 1981-1985, he was
a postdoctoral fellow and staff member of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the Medical
Research Council, Cambridge, England. In 1985 Dr. Pauza moved to the Salk Institute for Biological
Studies in La Jolla, California where he started the AIDS Research Program and guided its
development until 1990 when he accepted an appointment at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Pauza created the Immunology and Virology Division at the
Wisconsin National Primate Center and established strong interdisciplinary programs
in AIDS involving basic, clinical, and animal models research. After 10 years at the
University of Wisconsin, Dr. Pauza moved to the Institute of Human Virology as
Professor in the Basic Science Division and, since 2004, Assistant Director. In addition
to 25 years in laboratory, animal model and clinical studies on HIV/AIDS, Dr. Pauza
has an active program in tumor immunology with efforts to pioneer new approaches for clinical
management of disease through immunotherapy. Dr. Pauza has authored over 160 original
monographs and is actively funded by the National Institutes of Health, USA and by the Gates
Foundation.
Robert Redfield
Dr. Robert R. Redfield has been actively engaged in clinical research and clinical care of chronic
human viral infections and infectious diseases, especially HIV, for more than 30 years. He served as
the founding director of the Department of Retroviral Research within the Military’s
HIV Research Program and retired after 20 years of service in the US Army Medical
Corp when he co-founded the University of Maryland’s Institute of Human Virology
with Dr. William Blattner and Dr. Robert C. Gallo. He is currently a Professor of
Medicine, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and serves as the IHV
Associate Director and Director of the Division of Clinical Care and Research. Dr.
Redfield made several important early contributions to our understanding of HIV, to
include the demonstration of the importance of heterosexual transmission and the
development of the Walter Reed staging system for HIV infection. Presently, Dr.
Redfield oversees an extensive clinical program providing HIV care and treatment to more than 5,000
patients in the Baltimore/Washington DC community. He also leads extensive USG funded global care
and treatment, and post-graduate medical education programs, which are currently active in 5
African and 2 Caribbean countries.
Albert Osterhaus
Ab Osterhaus is the Head of the Institute of Virology of the Erasmus Medical Center.
He has a broad experience in leading research projects in the fields of vaccine
development and immunopathogenesis of virus infections of man and animals. He
holds many editorial appointments for scientific journals, is the holder of several
patents, and from 1980 onwards has held over 50 consultantships. Over the last 25
years, Prof. Osterhaus has identified more than a dozen "new" viral pathogens. He is
author of more than 580 peer reviewed scientific papers. He is also Director of the
National Influenza Center (NIC), Rotterdam, Director WHO Global Reference
Laboratory for Measles, Head of WHO National Reference Laboratory for Measles
and Rubella with RIVM Bilthoven, Director WHO Collaborating Centre for Arboviruses and
Haemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, and Professor of Wildlife Virology and Virus Discovery,
University of Utrecht.
Yutaka Tagaya
Dr. Tagaya is Head, T-cell Biology Lab, Division of Basic Sciences and Vaccine Research, Institute of
Human Virology, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Tagaya received his M.D. and
Ph.D. degrees from Kyoto University Medical School, and completed postdoctoral studies at the
National Cancer Institute. While at the NCI, Dr. Tagaya made seminal discoveries in
the field of cytokine biology. He has been recognized as one of the international
leaders in this field. He has discovered a unique way IL-15 functions in vivo (transpresentation paradigm) and generated animal models to study the biology of
cytokines and, through his work, has demonstrated a direct correlation between
cytokines and some illnesses such as leukemia and autoimmune diseases. Currently
Dr. Tagaya's group at the IHV studies the molecular mechanism of CD8 T cell
differentiation in special connection to a transcription factor IRF-8. Dr. Tagaya's group is also
developing novel anti-cytokine drugs that may be used to treat autoimmune and inflammatory
diseases using the animal models his group has generated in the past. His group also studies the
leukemic mechanism associated with HTLV-1. His bibliography contains more than 60 publications in
reputed journals in the field of cytokine biology, molecular and cellular immunology.
David Thomas
David L. Thomas, M.D., is a world-renowned expert on hepatitis C and has been a faculty member at
The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine since 1993. He has been Director
of the School’s Division of Infectious Diseases since 2006. Dr. Thomas has focused
most of his research efforts over the past two decades on liver infections, especially
the causes and treatments for hepatitis C, the leading cause of liver disease in the
United States and an infection that kills an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 Americans
each year. He is author of hundreds of articles and many book chapters on various
aspects of hepatitis, and has also investigated how co-infections with hepatic C
viruses and HIV progress in intravenous drug users with weakened immune systems.
Rohit Talwani
Dr. Talwani is Medical Director of the Hepatitis Clinical Unit at the US Veterans Affairs Medical Center
in Baltimore and an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland Medical School.
He is an infectious disease specialist, specializing in the treatment of chronic hepatitis
infection. Dr. Talwani received his M.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1995.
He completed an internship in internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center
followed by a residency at the University of South Carolina. He completed his
infectious diseases fellowship at Rush University Medical Center in 2000 and is
currently board certified in infectious diseases and internal medicine.
S. Diane Hayward
Dr. Hayward is Professor of Oncology, Neurology, Pharmacology & Molecular Science at Johns
Hopkins University. She is a recognized expert on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and
Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) - human herpesviruses that are
associated with a variety of malignancies. She is a Director of the Herpesvirus
Research Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Hopkins.
Dr. Hayward’s research interests include EBV and KSHV, viral latency and
tumorigenesis, mechanisms of virus induced proliferation, and herpesvirus
proteomics. Her renowned research is well recognized in the cancer field, as she
twice received the Merit Award from the National Cancer Institute, from 1988 to 1995 and more
recently from 2002 to 2011.
Konstantin Chumakov
Dr. Konstantin Chumakov is an Associate Director for Research at the Office of Vaccines Research and
Review at the US Food and Drugs Administration. He holds a PhD (1979) in
molecular virology and Doctor of Sciences degree (1987) from Moscow State
University. In 1973-1987 he was a Research Scientist at the Laboratory of Molecular
Biology and Bioorganic Chemistry of Moscow State University. From 1987 to 1989, he
was a Chief of the Laboratory of Bacterial Genetics at the Institute of Microbiology of
the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow. In 1989 he moved to the FDA Center
for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) in Bethesda, Maryland, and since 1997
heads the Laboratory of Method Development in the Division of Viral Products, CBER. His scientific
interests are in molecular virology and bioinformatics, creation of molecular methods for evaluation
and quality control of vaccines and other biological products as well as development of new
approaches for control and elimination of viral diseases. He is an author of more than 150 scientific
papers in scientific journals and book chapters.
Diane Griffin
Dr. Griffin is the Alfred and Jill Sommer Professor and Chair in Molecular Microbiology and
Immunology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.
She is recognized as a world renowned expert in measles. Dr. Griffin has studied the
host immune responses to viral infections since her early days at Johns Hopkins
University. Her career has centered on two primary areas of research including the
neurovirulence of Sindbis virus and immunosuppression induced by human measles
virus. This knowledge has been critical to her latest vaccine efforts using Sindbis virus
particles expressing the measles hemagglutinin protein. Her studies pinpoint the
difficulty involved in clearing measles virus from the human body. Furthermore, her
work may lead to a new vaccine that could be delivered to infants in developing countries where this
virus is still a major public health problem. She is a member of the American Academy of
Microbiology, US National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, the Maryland Women's Hall of
Fame, and has received the Pioneer Award from the International Society for Neurovirology.
Peter Palese
Dr. Palese is Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology in the Icahn School of Medicine
at Mount Sinai in New York. He is known worldwide for his expertise in the field of RVA viruses to
include influenza, paramyxo and corona (SARS) viruses. His research group is
interested in fundamental questions concerning the genetic make-up and the
biology of viruses using molecular biological techniques to understand how viruses
replicate and how they interact with cells to cause disease in their hosts. Dr. Palese
is the author of multiple book chapters and more than 300 scientific publications.
He is on the editorial board for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
and has been awarded multiple patents on viral vaccines and antivirals. Palese is a
member of the US National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the Austrian Academy of
Sciences, and the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Among his honors are the Robert Koch
Prize, the Charles C. Shepard Science Award, the European Virology Award, and the Sanofi-Institut
Pasteur Award.
Jose Esparza
Dr. Esparza is an internationally recognized expert on global health, vaccinology and HIV/AIDS. From
2004 to 2014 he was with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle WA, first as Senior Advisor on
HIV Vaccines and subsequently as Senior Advisor on Global Health (Vaccines.) Now retired from the
Gates Foundation and living in Reston VA, Dr. Esparza provides expert advice to different
organizations. From 1974 to 1986 he worked at the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific
Research, one of the most important research institutions in Latin America, where he
became Professor of Virology and Chair of the Center for Microbiology and Cell
Biology. He published seminal work in the field of rotaviruses, combining basic
science with epidemiology and clinical work. From 1986 to 2004 Dr. Esparza worked
with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), in Geneva, Switzerland, where he became a global leader in the
field of HIV vaccines. Dr. Esparza is author of over 180 publications, and has served in numerous
advisory committees all over the world. He is a member of the Venezuelan Academy of Medicine and
of the Royal Academy of Doctors of Spain.
Barry Beaty
Dr. Beaty is known internationally for his work and leadership in infectious diseases.
His major research efforts have been in the epidemiology and control of vectorborne and rodent-borne diseases. His work to understand the epidemic and
evolutionary potential of diseases, such as dengue, yellow fever, West Nile fever,
LaCrosse encephalitis, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, and to control these
dread diseases is and has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the
Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, the MacArthur Foundation, the Gates
Foundation and other agencies. Beaty is also known internationally for his research in mosquito vector
biology, molecular biology, vector pathogen interactions, and vector control. Dr. Beaty is a Member
of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and a CSU
University Distinguished Professor. At CSU, Dr. Beaty was the founder and former Director of the
Arthropod-borne Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Director of the Rocky Mountain Regional Center of
Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, and Director of the Infectious Disease
Supercluster and Chief Scientific Officer of MicroRx, the business arm of the ID SC.
Connie Schmaljohn
Dr. Schmaljohn is an internationally recognized expert on hantaviruses and hemorrhagic fever with
renal syndrome. Following postdoctoral research, she joined the Virology Division at USAMRIID in
1983 and served as Chief of the Molecular Virology Branch from 1992-2006. Her
current position is as the Army's Senior Research Scientist for Medical Defenses
Against Infectious Diseases (ST). She is one of less than 40 Army senior professional
scientists. Dr. Schmaljohn's research focuses on basic molecular virology research
and on the design and testing of molecular vaccines for highly pathogenic viruses,
to include Phase 1 clinical testing of DNA vaccines for hemorrhagic fever with renal
syndrome and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. She is the author of more than 120 research
publications, holds numerous patents and serves on several editorial boards. Dr. Schmaljohn was
elected to the American Academy of Microbiology in 2007 and is currently the President of the
International Society for Hantaviruses. Schmaljohn received a Ph.D. in Microbiology/Virology from
Colorado State University in 1978.
Reed Shabman
Dr. Reed Shabman is an Infectious Disease Investigator at the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI). The goal
of Dr. Shabman’s current research is to understand the interplay between zoonotic viruses and their
hosts. Specific areas of interest include defining the host immune response
following infection, identifying unique mechanisms of viral gene expression, and
discovering novel viral innate immune evasion strategies. Knowledge within these
areas will aid in the development of successful vaccines and therapeutics to
counteract virus infection. His most recent work is focused on the highly virulent
filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg virus), which are classified as NIAID Category A
Priority Pathogens and CDC Bioterrorism Agents. To accomplish these research
goals, Dr. Shabman is actively integrating next generation sequencing technologies at JCVI. Dr.
Shabman received his Ph.D. in 2008 from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Sharon H. Hrynkow
Dr. Sharon Hrynkow has worked in the global health arena for more than 20 years. In 2012, she was
appointed as the first President of the Global Virus Network where she is responsible for managing
GVN operations centrally and working with GVN Centers of Excellence worldwide to advance the GVN
mission (www.gvn.org). Prior positions include leadership roles at the National Institutes of Health,
where she was Deputy Director and Acting Director of the John E. Fogarty International Center (20002007) and Associate Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences. She has worked in partnership with more than 100 countries worldwide
to build capacity and collaborations in biomedicine and global health, including
on malaria, AIDS, emerging infectious diseases and brain disorders in developing
countries. She developed critical NIH programs to train next generation
researchers in global health in the United States and internationally. Early in her
career, she served as the focal point on HIV/AIDS at the US Department of State, and was responsible
for the State Department's first International Strategy on HIV/AIDS. Among her awards are the King
of Norway's Order of Merit and the U.S. President's Rank Award for Meritorious Senior Executive. She
is an elected member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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