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Internet Interventions for MSM in Pennsylvania
Article written by Raymond Yeo of the Pennsylvania Prevention Project & the Pitt Mens Study
Traditional methods for men who have sex with men (MSM) to meet sex partners—such as bars, clubs, and bathhouses—are now competing with the quick and efficient use of the Internet. Research has now shown a large percentage of men who hook up on line also engaging in risky sexual practices. New data are still emerging, but some researchers believe there is a direct connection between the inception of Internet sex venues and the renewed increase in HIV infections among gay and bisexual men.
In response to this emerging crisis, the Pitt Men’s Study (PMS) and the Pennsylvania Prevention Project (PPP) in the Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, at the Graduate School of Public Health have joined together to create an Internet Intervention Program.
“We’re going online,” says Raymond Yeo, a chat room Health Educator. “Guys are meeting up in chat rooms and they’re not getting the information they need to make healthy choices. It’s a lot like the original work we were doing back in the 1980’s, in bars…but now we have to take our message to where the guys are hooking up. And that’s the Internet.” Yeo is on the staff of both the PPP and the PMS. Among other things, he spends 5 to 10 hours a week in gay-identified chat rooms, providing information about condoms and HIV testing locations. “Most guys want to know about symptoms,” he explains. “Sometimes they don’t want to go to their family doctor because they don’t feel comfortable talking about sexual transmitted diseases…so I can tell them where they can go for confidential testing and advice.”
Yeo is backed by the substantial research and medical expertise of the PMS—an ongoing research project at the university, funded by the National Institutes of Health. The PMS is now in its 25th year of providing vital information about the AIDS crisis within the MSM community.
“We’re also creating an interactive Website,” Yeo went on to explain, “as a means to provide the kind of information that’s been lacking in the general media. Health Alerts, an instant messaging system that provides important health information to the MSM community in Pennsylvania, is just one part of the site. We’re also creating an online virtual health educator—a talking avatar that can dispense the kind of information I’d normally provide, who can be online 24/7. It’s going to be a fun and interesting resource…and I think it can put a real dent in the number of new infections among gay and bi men.”
The launch date for the Website will be sometime in June of 2009, just weeks away. In the meantime, Yeo and his colleagues continue to chat it up with MSM online, in the hopes of preventing sexually transmitted diseases among a community of men who might otherwise fall through the cracks when it comes to important health information.
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Congratulations to Recent Graduates & Delta Omega Awardees
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| IDM Graduates: Kevin Brown, Shauna Clark, Sherrianne Gleason, Adam Soloff, Jay Venkatachari, Ayan Chakrabarti, LaToya Strong, Sara Chadwick, Sheri Hathaway, Matt Watson, Kristina Williams | Photo taken at the 2009 GSPH Convocation held on April 25, 2009 |
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| Rodger Beatty, PhD, with Elizabeth Anne Gettig, MSc at the GSPH Alumni Dinner held on April 25, 2009 |
Sherrianne Gleason, PhD with GSPH Dean Donald Burke, MD at the GSPH Alumni Dinner held on April 25, 2009 |
Drs. Rodger Beatty and Phalguni Gupta were inducted into the
Delta Omega Honor Society Omicron Chapter during the GSPH Convocation & Alumni Dinner festivities on April 25. Above is a photo of Dr. Beatty with the chapter president Elizabeth Anne Gettig, MSc.
After receiving her PhD earlier in the day, Sherrianne Gleason was honored at the GSPH Alumni Dinner with received an award for her service to the GSPH Student Government. She is currently a Project Coordinator at the Center for Public Health Practice at GSPH.
Each year departments at GSPH select & nominate one outstanding master's level thesis, MS or MPH, and one outstanding doctoral dissertation, DrPH or PhD. This year's nominees & winners are:
Kevin Brown, PhD graduate of December of 2008 completed his dissertation entitled "Dendritic Cell Dynamics in Blood and Lymphoid Tissues During Pathogenic Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Infection" under the guidance of his advisor, Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes. Kevin is currently a post-doctoral fellow at the NIH.
Shaylee O'Leary, MS graduate of June 2008 completed her thesis entitled, “Transcriptional Regulation of Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha by Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 Vpr" under the guidance of her advisor, Dr. Velpandi Ayyavoo. Shaylee is currently employed at Cook MyoSite as a Product Development Associate.
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Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) 25th Anniversary Event
The study is composed of four US sites in Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles & Pittsburgh
On May 12 an event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the MACS was held in Washington D.C. Clients and representatives from all four MACS sites were on hand to commemorate the accomplishments of this important and historic research study.
Speakers included Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who provided context for the formation of the MACS within the early days of the HIV epidemic. Internationally renowned HIV activist Gregg Gonsalves spoke of the hope that the MACS research gave to many in the dark days of the disease, when many were dying.
Representatives from all four MACS sites were invited to speak at the event, including Pitt Men’s Study clinic coordinator Bill Buchanan. Bill had this to say about his early experiences as a client in the study:
“We got very little in return for our participation except for the feeling that we were contributing to a greater good. Altruism was, and still is, the backbone of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study.”
The program featured an a capella performance by Potomac Fever of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., and was followed by a reception.
The NIH has a press release on their site about the MACS event & the study's contributions. The press release is available here.
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Prevention, Treatment, and Control of Global Infectious Diseases Course Summary of First Semester
The class was offered for the first time in the spring of 2009
The goal of IDM 2038 is to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of public health issues in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of global infectious diseases. Emphasis is placed on providing basic concepts of pathogenic mechanisms, clinical management, and social, biological, & environmental factors that contribute to infectious disease control. Implications of public health programs and interventions in prevention of global infectious diseases are also discussed in details. The aims equip students with a working knowledge of global infectious disease to prepare them for public health clinical and administrative leadership roles in programs around the world. The primary student audience included graduate students in public health, medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and public and international affairs.
This course was developed and directed by Dr. Linda Frank, Associate Professor in Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology. Public health graduates with medical training from India and Brazil assisted in the teaching of the course content. The course included content on global infectious diseases including tropical diseases prevalent in resource-poor settings around the world as well as infectious diseases occurring throughout the world.
Experts from outside and from within the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences and experts from other universities provided lectures on Hepatitis, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and Sexually Transmitted Infections. Guest speakers were from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, Louisiana State University and Global TB Institute at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. Leaders in the Graduate School of Public Health in infectious diseases were also guest lecturers in the areas of vaccines, emerging infectious diseases, mechanisms of immune response, and malaria.
This course will again be offered in the spring 2010 semester.
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Photo taken of class with guest speaker,
Dr. Charles Rinaldo, Chairman of IDM |
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Photo taken of class with guest speaker,
Dr. Donald Burke,
Dean of GSPH |
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Pitt Men's Study (PMS) 25th Anniversary Event
The Pitt Men's Study is one of the four sites of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study
“Once we win this war on AIDS, and we will win this war, it is your historic legacy that will live on,” said Pitt Men’s Study principal investigator Charles R. Rinaldo to a room of over two hundred past and present Study volunteers. They were gathered to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Pitt Men’s Study, part of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). The event, held on April 4, 2009 at the Rodef Shalom Congregation in Pittsburgh, focused on honoring those who had volunteered for the study, some for the full twenty-five years.
Those “lifers” were given a special commemoration by Dr. Rinaldo, who praised them as “really extraordinary to have been so loyal and engaged over such a long time in the midst of adversity.”
The evening included speaker William Buchanan, clinic coordinator of the Pitt Men’s Study, who said to the attendees:
“Without you this study is nothing. The Pitt Men’s Study is not the researchers, nor the clinicians, nor the statisticians, nor the data managers, nor the laboratory staff. No, the Pitt Men’s Study is you, each and every unique and wonderful you.”
David W. Lyter, a physician and HIV specialist in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, spoke about his experiences as a young medical student in Pittsburgh during the early days of the epidemic, and his role as a co-founder of the Pitt Men’s Study.
Special note was made of the departure of physician assistant Marcy Holloway, who after seven years of working for the Study is leaving to pursue a career as an officer in the Air Force.
Last to speak was Branden Mikal Dudek, co-founder of Staying Positive, a Pittsburgh social group for those living with HIV. Branden spoke about his personal experiences with HIV, offering a reminder of the serious health risks posed by HIV even with today’s highly effective antiretroviral therapy.
Music at the event was provided by piano player David DeBaun, and the Brazilian Jazz ensemble led by Lilly Abreu. All in Good Taste Productions and Big Jim’s Catering provided food.
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IDM Professor Nominated for Teaching Award
Congratulations to Dr. Martinson on his nomination
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Jeremy Martinson, DPhil, Assistant Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology was recently nominated for the Craig Award in Teaching. The Dr. James L. Craig Endowed Excellence in Education award was established through the generosity of a distinguished GSPH alumnus to recognize teaching excellence in the school. GSPH students are invited to nominate faculty members who have a primary appointment in the school.
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Those students who nominated Dr. Martinson for the award used phrases such as “kept the class room alive,” “engaged students in a way I haven’t seen in for some time,” “Introduction to Public health Biology course was refreshing,” “teaching is both inspirational and exceptional.” One student commented, “He made ideas clear cut but so interesting that I wanted to hear more.” Another student wrote “Keeping a class of 80 involved and interested in the subject matter can be challenging, he made his subject matter vibrant and real.” One student recalled how his assignment “teaches students how to begin public health practice while using newly obtained knowledge.”
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Unmasking HIV/AIDS | PA Prevention Project's Faith Based Initiative
Deb Dennison, Health Educator for the PA Prevention Project
IDM’s PA Prevention Project’s Common Ground Faith Based HIV/AIDS Initiative once again co-sponsored the second annual prevention weekend observance of the Balm in Gilead’s signature event, the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS along with the Allegheny Conference of the AME Zion Church.
The theme, “Let’s Get Real: Unmasking HIV/AIDS,” provided an opportunity to highlight the devastating effect HIV/AIDS is having on the African American community by addressing stigma and discrimination; providing basic HIV/AIDS information on transmission, prevention, and treatment; emphasizing the importance of knowing ones status and offering free, confidential same day result HIV testing; giving face and voice to those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS; :providing age and cultural specific HIV/AIDS related workshops;
and enlisting an interest in participating churches to implement HIV/AIDS awareness activities within their respective churches.
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Day one of this two day event was hosted at Homewood AME Zion Church, located in Pittsburgh’s Homewood-Brushton area, and served as a “Day of Learning.” The day began with worship and praise. Following the luncheon meal, keynote speaker Harry Simpson, Executive Director and CEO of “Point of Change” of Detroit Michigan discussed “HIV in the America American Community.” Capitalizing on his 20 plus years of experience in HIV/AIDS at the community level, coupled with his speaking style resulted in a personalization of the epidemic for all in attendance. The luncheon concluded with a spoken word piece.
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| PICTURED: Rev. Stanley Dennison, Host Pastor;
Kristina Williams, IDM MPH Student, Hope Rawls;
Debra Dennison, Event Coordinator, PA Prevention Project;
Odalys Martin, Gilead Inc. Liaison; and Harry Simmons, Luncheon Speaker |
Breakout sessions addressed a variety of the HIV related issues mentioned above. Age and culturally specific session were:
- Special Me, Caring Me – for children up to age 8; exploration of “me as being uniquely created” and the importance of caring for others in an age appropriate manner through story time music, and crafts.
- Special Me, Changing Me –workshop and materials develop by Debra Dennison for youth ages 9-12 explored the basic changes of puberty and its relationship to self-esteem. Kristina Williams, GSPH, MPH student served as one of the co-facilitators.
- Choices – workshop and materials developed by Debra Dennison for teens 13 to 17. This energizing workshop explored the relationship between one’s choices and values through the use of various activities including the SODA decision making model.
- HIV Trends in the African American Community – facilitated by Burnell Simms, GSPH, AET for those ages 18 and above; provided an overview of HIV/AIDS trends within Pennsylvania’s African American community, special focus placed on teens and persons over age 50.
Much fun was had during the day’s ‘rap-up” as teens and adults matched wits during the HIV/AIDS review game, “So Whaddya Know.” Following evaluations, the host pastor provided the closing prayer of healing, compassion, and a call to action. Of the 100 plus individuals in attendance, 22 took advantage of the free, confidential HIV counseling and testing services.
Day two, held at participating local churches, focused on worship, praise, prayer and the word during the morning worship. In highlighting the epidemic, pastors utilized a variety of methods, including incorporation of information shared during the Day of Learning, litanies and prayers, sermons, distribution of red ribbons, special music, and the lighting of candles. A gospel concert closed out the weekend event.
Special thanks must be extended to the following for the overwhelming success of this year’s event – the Homewood AME Zion Church, co-sponsorship; Gilead Sciences, Inc., keynote speaker sponsor; and the
Pittsburgh AIDS Center for Treatment and Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, provided testing and counseling services.
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Pitt Receives $2.8 Million to Train HIV/AIDS Researchers in Mozambique,
Brazil and India
Dr. Harrison holds a secondary appointment in IDM
UPMC Media Relations Press Release
PITTSBURGH, April 17 – The University of Pittsburgh has received a five-year, $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s Fogarty International Center to train researchers in regions of the world most hard-hit by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The grant, part of the center’s AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP), will allow Pitt to develop a training site in Mozambique, where there are an estimated 750 new HIV infections every day, and to expand programs underway in Brazil and India.
“The HIV/AIDS epidemic remains uncontrolled in many regions in the world,” said principal investigator Lee Harrison, M.D., professor of medicine and epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh. “With an ever-growing number of patients in treatment programs, there is an urgent need for well-trained scientists to monitor patients and find out why people develop resistance to anti-HIV drugs.” He said the Fogarty grant will give international researchers the tools and skills needed to do this vital work.
“America has become the leader in advancing prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in developing countries,” said Roger I. Glass, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Fogarty International Center. “Training local researchers benefits their own countries and helps U.S. scientists develop new understanding and methods for combating disease.”
The Pitt training program in Mozambique is based on a partnership forged in 2006 with Catholic University Mozambique, the site of one of only two medical schools in the southeastern African country. With 1.8 million people living with HIV and one physician for every 33,000 residents, Mozambique has very limited capabilities for research and few trained investigators, Dr. Harrison said. The growing epidemic disproportionately impacts women, many of them of childbearing age. In the region of Beira, where Catholic University is based, 34 percent of pregnant women are HIV-infected.
In Mozambique, the Pitt team will focus on training researchers in epidemiological methods to better understand the failure of antiretroviral treatment and answer basic questions about HIV prevalence. In Brazil, ranked second in number of reported AIDS cases in the Americas, training will focus on treatment and vaccine trials, tuberculosis research related to AIDS and the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy in public clinics. In India, where there are 2.5 million HIV-infected people, training will center on laboratory studies on the molecular mechanisms of HIV and the development of anti-HIV vaccines using Indian strains.
The University of Pittsburgh received one of seven AITRP grants recently awarded. The AITRP has trained nearly 2,000 researchers overseas, most of whom remain in their countries to continue HIV/AIDS research, train young scientists and provide leadership to their governments on health issues. Co-directing the program with Dr. Harrison is Phalguni Gupta, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.
CONTACT: Clare Collins, CollCX@upmc.edu
Anita Srikameswaran, SrikamAV@upmc.edu
PHONE: (412) 647-3555
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Dr. Linda Frank Receives Award from the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Article from the March 2, 2009 edition of the Pitt Chronicle - Awards & More Section
Linda Frank, principal investigator and project director of the Pennsylvania and Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education and Training Center, has received the Frank Lamendola Achievement Award for Nursing Leadership in HIV Care from the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care. As a nursing professional who combines clinical practice with leadership in policy, education, professional services, and scholarly activities, Frank was recognized for bringing vision, administrative abilities, and commitment to the nursing profession. Frank also is assistant professor in in the Graduate School of Public Health’s Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology.
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February 7 – Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – IDM Center Web site Stated in Governor’s Proclamation
The Pennsylvania Prevention Project’s Web site is stophiv.com
Issued on Tuesday February 3, 2009 from the Office of Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, The Honorable Edward G. Rendell signed a proclamation declaring February 7 Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in Pennsylvania. In the sixth paragraph of the proclamation Web site maintained by the Pennsylvania Prevention Project, www.stophiv.com is stated by name as a way for “collective action by everyone affected or infected by HIV” to located a testing site, that is free and confidential. The entire proclamation is available in a PDF format.
The Pennsylvania Prevention Project’s Director and Principal Investigator is Dr. Anthony Silvestre. Dr. Silvestre is an Associate Professor in IDM. In his professor role he serves a advisor to IDM MPH students in the Community & Behavioral Intervention of Infections Diseases concentration, students enrolled in the multi-department LGBT Health and Wellness certificate, and teaches a class each summer semester on the impact of human diversity of public policy, research, and practice.
February 7 is also the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). The Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention has a Web page with resources and further information about NBHAAD at www.cdc.gov/Features/BlackHIVAIDSAwareness.
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Peace Corps Master's International Program Available
Applicants of the IDM MPH Community & Behavioral Intervention of Infectious Diseases Concentraiton
Available to Apply to GSPH PCMI Program
The new Peace Corps Master’s International Track within the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology (IDM) combines public health courses and two years of service with the Peace Corps for a world class education and a life-changing experience. The Master’s International Track in IDM is available through the Concentration in Community and Behavioral Interventions of Infectious Diseases. Details about the Peace Corps Master’s International Track are available at www.publichealth.pitt.edu/pcmi. Prospective PCMI & IDM students are encouraged to visit IDM's Prospective Students Web page for further information about IDM.
Applications for the PCMI/MPH-IDM are being accepted. The application deadline is January 5, 2009 for admission in the fall of 2009. Details about the admissions process are available on the GSPH Student Affairs Web page.
Prospective students are welcomed to contact IDM Academic Administrator Robin Leaf at idm@pitt.edu with questions.
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Pitt Researchers Find Stronger Evidence That Virus Causes Deadly Skin Cancer
Dr. Moore holds a secondary appointment in IDM
Article from the September 29, 2008 edition of the University Chronicle - By Anita Srikameswaran
University of Pittsburgh scientists are uncovering more evidence that a virus they recently discovered is the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma, an aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer.
The findings, published in an online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, put to rest the possibility that Merkel cell polyomavirus, or MCV, infects tumors that already have formed. If that were the case, the virus would be a passenger rather than the driver of the disease.
Experiments in human tumors reveal that the cancer develops in two steps: During infection, MCV integrates into host cell DNA and produces viral proteins that promote cancer formation. Tumors occur when a mutation removes part of a viral protein needed for the virus to reproduce and infect other healthy cells, explained senior investigator Patrick Moore, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics in Pitt’s School of Medicine and director of the Molecular Virology Program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. The virus then can spread only as the cancer cells themselves multiply.
Clearly, “MCV infects normal cells before they turn into cancer cells,” Moore said. “The virus could not have infected a tumor afterwards, because it can no longer replicate. It looks very much like MCV is the culprit that causes the disease.”
The researchers propose two possible reasons why these mutations develop: If viral replication continues, the immune system could recognize the intruder to eliminate diseased cells, or the viral replication itself will lead to the death of the cancer cells. Both of these possibilities provide promising leads to find better ways to kill Merkel cell cancer cells without harming healthy tissues.
Also, “this research shows evolution within tumors on a molecular level,” Moore said. “You can see the specific molecular steps.” The team’s current work could account for such known risk factors for Merkel cell carcinoma as UV exposure and ionizing radiation, which damage DNA and can lead to the viral mutations.
Merkel cell cancers are rare, occurring in about 1,500 Americans annually. Half of patients who have advanced disease die within nine months of diagnosis, and two-thirds of them die within two years. The elderly and people with compromised immune systems are at greater risk of developing the cancer, which arises in skin nerve cells that respond to touch or pressure.
In a paper published in Science in January, Moore and his wife, Yuan Chang, who codirects their lab, reported their identification of the virus and that it could be found in 80 percent of Merkel cell tumors. They cautioned that although up to 16 percent of the population carries MCV, very few will develop cancer.
There is no treatment for MCV infection right now, but identifying the agent and understanding how it triggers disease could lead to targeted interventions, Moore said.
Coauthors of the study are Masahiro Shuda, Huichen Feng, Hyun Jin Kwun, Ole Gjoerup, and Yuan Chang, all of the Molecular Virology Program at the University of Pittsburgh; and Steven T. Rosen of Northwestern University. Funding for this research was provided by a grant from the University of Pittsburgh EXPLORER fund.
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PhD Student Awarded Prize for Poster Presented at Pitt's Science 2008 Symposium
Congratulations to Poonam
Poonam Poonam, fifth year PhD student in Dr. Phalguni Gupta’s laboratory participated in the poster session of the University's Science 2008, annual symposium of science and technology, held October 2 & 3. She was awarded a $100 prize as the top student poster in the molecular & cellular biology category. Earlier in the year Poonam was the recipient of a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Travel Award. Below is a picture of Poonam with GSPH Dean Donald Burke in 2007.
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Research on Pitt Men's Study is Awarded by NIDA
Announcement written by Dr. Jessica Burke
Dr. Jessica Burke’s grant “Patterns of substance use among aging HIV positive and negative MSM” was recently funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The award is $203,000 for 2 years. Drs. Ron Stall (GSPH-BCHS), Anthony Silvestre (GSPH-IDM), Steve Albert (GSPH-BCHS) and Michael Marshal (WPIC) are study co-investigators. Howie Lim, a doctoral student in the department of Epidemiology and a LGBT Health & Wellness certificate program student, is the study’s Project Director.
The overarching goal of this R03 research study is to examine the patterns of substance use over time among an aging cohort of HIV positive and negative men who have sex with men (MSM) participating in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). The Pitt Men's Study (PMS) is one of the four MACS sites.
This exploratory research focuses on the extent to which middle-aged MSM carry substance use habits from earlier into later life. It is a mixed method study that includes 1) an innovative approach to secondary quantitative data analysis of existing MACS data and 2) qualitative in-depth interviews with selected MACS participants. The analysis will be limited to MACS participants currently over the age of 50 years and will compare trajectories of declining substance use with increasing or consistently high levels of use. These pattern comparisons will allow for the identification of resiliency characteristics associated with decreased substance use and related health and social problems. Results will be used to develop a model intervention to prevent substance abuse and related health and social problems among both older HIV positive and negative MSM. The analysis will also specifically seek to develop hypotheses from the qualitative and quantitative data that can be tested with other aging populations of substance users.
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IDM Annual Research Day Poster Competition Awards & Abstracts
Congratulations to
all student and post-doctoral participants
This was the 11th year for the IDM Research Day Poster Competition. Over 30 students, representing all of IDM's programs, and post-doctoral research associates participated. Awards were give to those participants who decided to enter their posters into the competition phase of the event. Awards for first, second, and three awards for third place were given to participants. Thanks go to this year's judges, Dr. Amy Hartman and Dr. Elodie Ghedin.
Abstracts for all participants are available in PDF format online. Photos from the event are also available online.
| IDM Annual Research Day Poster Awards |
| First Place |
Second Place |
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| Jessica Brehm, PhD Candidate |
Nitin Bhardwaj, PhD Candidate |
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| Abstract: “Q509L in HIV-1 RT Increases AZT Resistance by Promoting Polymerase-Competent vs. RNase H-Competent Binding on RNA/DNA T/P with Short Duplex Lengths” |
Abstract:“Development of a Novel Vaccine Strategy Against Rift Valley Fever Virus”
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| Third Place |
Third Place |
Third Place |
| Nabanita Biswas, PhD Student |
Purushottam Narute, PhD Student |
Varsha Shridhar, PhD Candidate |
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Abstract: “The Role of Adar1, an Adenosine Deaminase in Anti HIV-1 Immunity”
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Abstract: “Selective Activation of the SRC-Family Kinases HCK and LYN is a General Property of Nef Proteins from Major HIV-1 Subtypes” |
Abstract: “Mechanistic Studies on a CD8 Suppressive Factor that Inhibits HIV-1 Replication” |
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IDM Professor Receives Gates Foundation Grant
Congratulations to
Dr. Yue Chen
Dr. Yue Chen, Assistant Professor of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology received a Grand Challenge Exploration grant of $100,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop an oral vaccine against HIV using Clostridia perfringen bacteria as a delivery vehicle. The proposed vaccine strategy hold great promise to develop a practical vaccine against HIV due to safety, low production cost and easy administration.
Dr. Chen is an IDM alumnae as she completed her PhD in under the direction of her advisor Dr. Phalguni Gupta. Currently she serves as an advisor for an MS student. Her faculty profile is available on the IDM Web site.
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IDM Announces 2008 Public Health Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations to
Sara Miller and Travis Rabbit
Instituted in 2004 to recognize academic excellence among incoming Master of Public Health and Master of Science students, the IDM Public Health Scholarship has again been awarded to two new master’s level students. The scholarship is based on academic merit which includes undergraduate grades and Graduate Record Examination scores. The student’s letters of recommendation are also reviewed during the selection process. This year’s recipients are Sara Miller and Travis Rabbit.
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Sara Miller
is a 2008 graduate from
Colorado College with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Anthropology. She is originally from
Youngstown, Ohio.
In her spare time she enjoys running, cycling, and skiing. Joining the Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology at the
University
of
Pittsburgh
this fall, Sara is a MPH degree student in the Community and Behavioral Intervention Infectious Disease Program.
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A graduate of
Thomas Jefferson University, Travis Rabbit is originally from
Trenton, New Jersey
. He holds an AS in Paramedicine and a BS in Health Sciences. Outdoor sports, search & rescue, baking, gardening, and ballroom dancing are areas of interest for Travis. He joined the MPH Bioscience of Infectious Diseases concentration program this year.
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Support for this scholarship is provided by the Bob Yee Fund in the department. Donations to this fund can be made by personal check to the
University
of
Pittsburgh
, subscript “The Bob Yee Fund”, and sent to:
University
of
Pittsburgh
, Graduate School of Public Health, Ms.
Robin Tierno
, Senior Administrator, A419B Crabtree Hall,
130 DeSoto Street
,
Pittsburgh
,
PA
15261
. Contact Ms.
Robin Tierno
with questions at: 412-624-3105 or e-mail rtierno@pitt.edu.
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LGBT Certificate Program Cited in University Times as "What's New?" for the 2008-09 Academic Year
The program is administered by IDM and is in conjunction with BCHS & EPID
University Times Article
GSPH also has launched a first-of-its-kind certificate program in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) health and wellness. The program, part of Pitt’s Center for Research on Health and Sexual Orientation, is designed to help students gain a multidisciplinary perspective of LGBT health that can be applied to a broad array of public health professions. The certificate program is co-sponsored by the school’s departments of epidemiology, behavioral and community health sciences, and infectious diseases and microbiology.
The entire article is available on the University Times Web site.
The program for academic year 2008-09 has an enrollment of six students. Further details on the program curriculum and application information is available on the IDM Web site.
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Pitt Scientists Receive $3.6 Million to Test Vaccine Against Deadliest Strain of Avian Flu
Dr. Ted Ross holds a secondary appointment in IDM
UPMC Media Relations Press Release
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 25 – Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research have been awarded $3.6 million from the National Institutes of Health to conduct animal studies of vaccines designed to protect against the most common and deadliest strain of avian flu, H5N1. Recent outbreaks of H5N1 have prompted health officials to warn of its continued threat to global health and potential to trigger an avian flu pandemic.
“Worldwide avian flu control efforts have been mostly successful, but like seasonal influenza, avian flu changes year to year, creating new subtypes and strains that could easily and quickly spread among humans,” said Ted M. Ross, Ph.D., principle investigator of the grant and assistant professor, Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh.
Unlike other avian flu vaccines, which are partially developed from live viruses, the vaccines Dr. Ross and colleagues will test in non-human primates are based on a virus-like particle, or VLP, that is recognized by the immune system as a real virus but lacks genetic information to reproduce, making it a potentially safer alternative for a human vaccine. Given the evolving nature of H5N1, the vaccines have been engineered to encode genes for many influenza viral proteins to offer enhanced protection against possible new strains of the virus.
“VLPs may be advantageous over other vaccine strategies because they are easy to develop, produce and manufacture,” said Dr. Ross. “Using recombinant technologies, within ten weeks, we could generate a vaccine most effective towards the current circulating strain of virus, making it a cost-effective counter-measure to the threat of an avian influenza pandemic.”
Co-investigators at the University of Pittsburgh include Simon M. Barratt-Boyes, Ph.D., Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology; Gerard J. Nau, M.D., Ph.D. and Jodi K. Craigo, Ph.D., Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics; Elodie Ghedin, Ph.D., Department of Medicine; and Clayton A. Wiley, M.D., Department of Pathology.
The Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) at the University of Pittsburgh houses both the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory and the Vaccine Research Laboratory. Researchers at the CVR, directed by Donald S. Burke, M.D., dean of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and UPMC Jonas Salk Professor of Global Health, develop new methods and strategies to prevent and treat infectious diseases, potentially improving and protecting global health.
CONTACT: Clare Collins, CollCX@upmc.edu or
Frank Raczkiewicz, RaczkiewiczFA@upmc.edu
PHONE: (412) 647-3555
www.upmc.com/communications/mediarelations
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New Course in IDM for Spring 2009 - Prevention, Treatment, and Control of Global Infectious Diseases
Dr. Linda Frank is an Assistant Professor in IDM
Offered for the first time in the upcoming spring 2009 semester, the course is aimed to prepare the student to demonstrate knowledge of the prevention, treatment, and control of infectious diseases throughout the world. Students will develop knowledge in the pathogenesis, treatment, individual, and environment intervention in prevention and spread of infectious diseases in this course.
The course was created and will be directed by Dr. Linda Frank, Assistant Professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology. Dr. Frank is also the Director of the IDM MPH Community & Behavioral Intervention of Infectious Diseases concentration and the Principal Investigator & Project Director of the Pennsylvania/Mid Atlantic AIDS Education Training Center. The teaching of the course will be assisted by Anupama Lochab, MBBS, MPH, Ashish Gupta, MBBS, and Bruno Scarpellini, along with expert guest lecturers in global infectious diseases.
The course will be taught on Tuesday sand Thursdays during the spring 2009 semester from 6:30-8:30PM. The course catalog identifier is IDM 2038. GSPH and students in other related graduate programs at Pitt are encouraged to sign up for this course.
Further details about the course can be provided by contacting Robin A. Leaf, M.Ed., Academic Administrator for the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at idm@pitt.edu.
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Long-Term HIV Treatment May Reduce Risk for Coronary Atherosclerosis,
Pitt Study Finds
Lead athor, Dr. Lawrence Kingsley, is an Associate Professor in IDM
UPMC Media Relations Press Release
Antiretroviral drugs for HIV do not increase the risk for coronary atherosclerosis, a central risk factor for heart disease, according to a study led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health to be published in the Aug. 8 issue of the journal AIDS and available online today. The results further suggest that antiretroviral therapy may offer men with HIV some protection against atherosclerosis – hardening of the arteries, caused in part by high levels of cholesterol, smoking and other lifestyle factors.
The study, part of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) initiated in 1983, measured levels of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in nearly 950 HIV-positive and HIV-negative men by CT scanning completed between 2004 and 2006. Controlling for traditional atherosclerosis risk factors such as age, family history, smoking and blood pressure, the study team found that CAC scores were almost 60 percent lower in HIV-positive men who received highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for more than eight years compared to HIV-negative men.
HAART, a course of treatment that involves the combination of three or more antiretrovirals, has been associated with an increase in cholesterol and other factors associated with atherosclerosis, leading some to question whether long-term use increases the risk of heart attack.
“When we first prescribed highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV in 1995, we were concerned about how these drugs changed lipid levels in patients and whether they would increase atherosclerosis and ultimately lead to serious heart disease,” said Lawrence Kingsley, Ph.D., study lead author and associate professor, Departments of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology and Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. “While some studies have found an association between these antiretroviral treatments and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, we believe our findings should reassure clinicians that using antiretroviral therapy over time does not appear to put patients at greater risk for coronary atherosclerosis and may, in fact, be more beneficial than we had initially thought.”
The study also found that for both HIV-positive and HIV-negative men, older age was most strongly associated with the presence of coronary atherosclerosis. Smoking, lipid abnormalities and family history also played a role.
“This was not surprising since these are the major risk factors for atherosclerosis in the general population,” said Dr. Kingsley. “The purpose of our study, however, was to investigate whether long-term HAART usage was a major risk factor."
“These results could be due, in part, to lower lipid values of HIV infected men prior to beginning antiretroviral therapy and high use of lipid-lowering drugs. The key is that controlling risk factors for atherosclerosis should be a priority,” added Lewis Kuller, M.D., Dr.P.H, study co-author and professor of epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.
Dr. Kingsley concluded, “What remains to be determined is whether use of the newest antiretroviral therapies confers an even better outcome and whether lipid-lowering therapies will further improve cardiovascular risk in the HIV-infected population. Our future research will address these questions.”
Study co-authors include Juliana Cuervo-Rojas, M.D., and Alvaro Munoz, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Frank J. Palella, M.D., Northwestern University; Wendy Post, M.D., Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Mallory D. Witt, M.D., University of California School of Medicine; and Matthew Budoff, M.D., University of California Los Angeles.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Cancer Institute and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
CONTACT: Clare Collins, CollCX@upmc.edu or
Michele D. Baum, BaumMD@upmc.edu
PHONE: (412) 647-3555
www.upmc.com/communications/mediarelations
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Pitt Men's Study 25th Anniversary Commemoration
On Monday November 3, 2008 the faculty and staff of the Pitt Men’s Study plan to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study with a half-day session that looks at the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the research role of the Pitt MACS. Three speakers have been conformed for the event. Sten Vermund, national HIV researcher, Phil Parr prominent community advocate, and Charles R. Rinaldo, principal investigator of the Pitt MACS. These speakers will cover the topic from the national the community and the University perspectives respectively. The event will take place in A115 Crabtree Hall.
| Event Schedule |
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| 8:30-9 a.m. |
Welcome & Introduction |
Donald S. Burke, MD |
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| 9-9:45 a.m. |
"The Pitt Men's Study: A 25-year Journey" |
Charles R. Rinaldo, Jr., PhD |
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| 10-10:45 a.m. |
"Research with a Heart" |
Philip Parr, MPH |
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11-11:45 a.m.
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"HIV Prevention for MSM in the U.S.: Where We Were in 1983 and Where We Are Now" |
Sten H. Vermund, MD, MPH
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11:45 -11:50 a.m.
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Closing Remarks
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Donald S. Burke, MD
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EVENT APPROVED FOR GSPH PUBLIC HEALTH GRAND ROUNDS CREDIT
The event has been approved to serve as 1-3 credits for the GSPH Public Health Grand Rounds course. The breakdown of credit awarded to first and second year GSPH students is as follows:
8:45-10 a.m.: Session1- PHGR #2091-19-1; approved for 1 point,
10-11 a.m.: Session 2 - PHGR 2091-20-1; approved for 1 point,
11-11:50 a.m.: Session 3 - PHGR 2091-21-1; approved for 1 point.
Student will be required to sign up at the beginning of each session that they wish to receive credit for. The sign in area will be in room 109 Parran Hall.
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Pitt Men's Study Turns 25
Twenty-five years ago this Fall the University of Pittsburgh made history when the NIH selected a proposal submitted by Charles R. Rinaldo Jr PhD to become part of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Like the disease itself, AIDS research was just emerging in the Fall of 1983. The scientific and medical community knew little about this mysterious disease, but what they did know painted a troubling picture. What better way to confirm or refute existing hypotheses about the disease than the surveillance of large, national cohort of at-risk individual. Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore), Northwestern University (Chicago),and UCLA (Los Angeles) joined the University as research sites in this project. (The original proposal included the University of San Francisco but they never …). Over the past quarter century the MACS as a group and these member institutions individually became a driving national force in HIV/AIDS research. In addition to producing a wealth of research data in their own right, the MACS sites also became a beacon for broader HIV/AIDS research both nationally and on their individual campuses.
On Monday November 3, 2008, the University of Pittsburgh, the Graduate School of Public Health, and the Department of infectious Diseases and Microbiology will honor the contributions of the Study (known as the Pitt Men’s Study in Pittsburgh) at the national, University, and community levels. Sten Vermund MD PhD, former scientific project office with the NIH when the MACS began, will cover the historic role of the MACS at the national level. Charles R. Rinaldo Jr PhD, Chairman of IDM and principal investigator of the Pittsburgh MACS will discuss the role of the Study on HIV/AIDS research on the University of Pittsburgh. Phillip Parr MPH, long time community leader and activist in Pittsburgh will provide a view of the impact of the study from the local perspective.
The event will be held from 8:00 to 11:30 in A115 Crabtree Hall. More information will be posted on the IDM Web site and through other University venues as the event date draws closer.
Article written by Joseph Pawlak, MPA, for the August 2008 IDM Newsletter. The August 2008 IDM Newsletter is avalilable in PDF format at www.idm.pitt.edu/idm/AUG08Newsletter.pdf.
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Science cites MACS as Bargain
The MACS Commemorates its 25th Year
While HIV/AIDS researchers associated with the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) have long recognized the enormous value of the data generated, no less a source that Science recently praised the study not only for the big dividends provided over the past 25 years, but for the enormous bang the research has provides for a very modest investment. In an article in the July 25 issue of Science Jon Cohen cites the MACS as one of three NIH supported projects that provides an exceptional “Bang for the Buck” in AIDS research. Relying on more than one million samples from approximately 3,000 men the study is credited with enabling researchers to tease out just how HIV causes AIDS. The other studies as bargains in the article include the NIH AIDS Research and Reference Reagent Program, and the HIV Data Base. The complete article can be seen at sciencemag.org.
Article written by Joseph Pawlak, MPA, for the August 2008 IDM Newsletter. The August 2008 IDM Newsletter is avalilable in PDF format at www.idm.pitt.edu/
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GSPH Staffer Preps for Transplant Games
George is a member of the IDM working within the Pennsylvania/ Mid-Atlantic AIDS Edcuation Traning Center
Article from the July 10, 2008 edition of the University Times
When the National Kidney Foundation U.S. Transplant Games open tomorrow in Pittsburgh, one University staff member will be competing for Team Pittsburgh in the 3-on-3 basketball tournament at the highest of three competitive levels.
Thanks to the generosity of his sister, who donated a kidney, George McClure is back to work and back on the court in time for this year’s Transplant Games.
The biennial games, staged in part this year on the Pittsburgh campus, are expected to draw 8,000 to the city July 11-16 — athletes who have received an organ transplant, as well as living donors and families of deceased donors.(For more information and a schedule of the Transplant Games, visit www.transplantgames.org.)
In spring 2006, George McClure was tired constantly, too exhausted to keep up with his two young sons, too sick to work at his job in the Graduate School of Public Health. So he left Pitt that April.
“I remember a day I came home after running around with my kids and chasing them and I said, ‘Oh, I need a break,’ so I sat on the steps and less than five minutes later I was sound asleep — on the steps,” McClure said. “I was tired all the time and sleeping a good portion of the weekends. I was really exhausted. Every day felt like it was work just to get through it.”
He knew the reason: A couple years earlier, he had been diagnosed with damaged kidneys that resulted from hypertension. His condition worsened. By 2006, unable to work and limited as a parent, he was facing a future restricted by exhaustion and regular kidney dialysis sessions.
Now, barely two years later, McClure is back at work at GSPH, with a recent promotion, and playing competitive basketball on weekends at his neighborhood playground in Pleasant Hills.
The entire article is available on the University Times Web site.
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Hepatitis C Virus May Need Help of Enzyme to Cause Liver Disease, Pitt Study Finds
Lead Author is IDM Assistant Professor Dr. Tianyi Wang
UPMC Media Relations Press Release
PITTSBURGH, July 9 – A key enzyme may explain how hepatitis C infection causes fatty liver – a buildup of excess fat in the liver, which can lead to life-threatening diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, report University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and School of Medicine researchers.
The study, published in the July 9 online issue of Hepatology, shows that an enzyme known to play a major role in lipid production, fatty acid synthase (FAS), was highly elevated in human liver cells exposed to the hepatitis C virus. While preliminary, the research suggests that testing for elevated levels of FAS could help determine which patients with hepatitis C virus may go on to develop more serious, long-lasting health consequences brought on by fatty liver.
Nearly 200 million people worldwide are infected by hepatitis C, including 4 million Americans. Seventy percent of people with hepatitis C develop chronic liver disease, and the infection is the leading reason for liver transplantation in the United States.
Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C infection. Since hepatitis C typically has no symptoms, many people do not know they have the infection until they develop signs of liver failure or fatty liver, sometimes decades after infection. The virus replicates and mutates quickly, helping it to evade discovery and attack by the immune system and allowing it to slowly wreak damage on the liver.
“Our study has provided new insight into how hepatitis C causes fatty liver. This has important implications for future studies and efforts to understand how the virus causes an increase in fatty acid levels that can lead to serious liver conditions,” said Tianyi Wang, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and the study’s lead author.
To identify possible proteins in the hepatitis C virus linked to an increase in fatty acids, Dr. Wang worked with Thomas Conrads, Ph.D., co-director of clinical proteomics at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, and colleagues on a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach in which they measured protein expression from liver cell cultures exposed to the hepatitis C virus. The approach sorted proteins based on their weight and electrical charge, looking for divergent patterns linked to the virus. Of the 175 proteins they identified, only FAS was highly elevated in cell cultures. Furthermore, when they blocked the expression of FAS, they noted a three to four times decrease in the level of the virus, indicating that FAS is directly linked to the virus’s expression.
“Viruses are very complex, so it is challenging to determine what proteins may be at play in their survival and growth,” said Dr. Wang. “The proteomic approach we used revealed many proteins linked to hepatitis C that may be worthy of further study, but FAS appears to be the protein most strongly associated with the production of fatty acids that can cause liver disease.”
“Our next step in this research is to see how high the level of FAS is in tissue samples from hepatitis C patients and determine whether elevated FAS levels directly result in overproduction of fat in livers. If we learn that FAS is highly present in tissue, testing for it may be a way to predict those at risk for liver disease.”
In addition to Drs. Wang and Conrads, other authors include Wei Yang, Ph.D., Sara Chadwick, B.S., and Shufeng Liu, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health; Brian Hood, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute; Simon Watkins, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and Guangxiang Luo, Ph.D., University of Kentucky College of Medicine.
The research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health and University of Pittsburgh Central Research Development Funds.
UPMC Media Relations - www.upmc.com/communications/mediarelations
CONTACT: Clare Collins, CollCX@upmc.edu
Courtney McCrimmon, McCrimmonCP@upmc.edu
PHONE: (412) 647-3555
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Bird Flu Report Touts Vaccines
Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes, IDM Associate Professor, among authors of recent article
Article from the May 1, 2008 edition of the University Times
A team of researchers reports that widespread vaccination likely will be a key public health strategy for controlling an H5N1 bird flu pandemic.
In a report in The Lancet, the scientists note that any vaccine must be broadly protective and rapidly reproducible to be effective.
“If H5N1 influenza viruses acquire the capacity for effective human-to-human transmission while retaining their characteristically high pathogenicity, the ensuing pandemic would be devastating,” Andrea Gambotto, assistant professor of surgery at the School of Medicine, and his colleagues stated. “Therapeutic approaches for control of the disease can be restricted, leaving widespread vaccination as the probable cornerstone of public-health measures for pandemic control. Continued research into influenza pathogenesis and development of broadly protective vaccines that can be rapidly produced is needed in anticipation of an H5N1 influenza virus pandemic.”
The authors note also that diagnosis of the disease may be difficult because the virus is time-consuming to isolate and requires high-level biocontainment laboratory facilities.
The preferred method for rapid diagnosis is reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays, several of which have been developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for diagnostic use in human beings, Gambotto and his colleagues noted.
In addition, the authors highlight their concerns over genetic variants of the H5N1 virus, which they say provide constant challenges to the reliability of RT-PCR assay design. Because of these challenges, genetic sequence information of the most recent human and bird H5N1 isolates are essential.
“Improving accessibility of databases within the World Health Organization’s influenza networks that are restricted, and in which such information is mostly stored, would help with and improve the establishment and maintenance of reliable diagnostics in many laboratories in countries affected by H5N1 influenza virus,” the authors wrote.
The authors also considered problems associated with inadequate drug concentrations and resistance and examined the pros and cons of a number of the vaccines for H5N1 that have been tested in clinical trials so far.
Among other authors of the report is Simon M. Barratt-Boyes of the Graduate School of Public Health.
<This article is directley available from the Research Notes section of the May 1, 2008 University Times publication at http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-DB=ustory&-Format=d.html&-lay=a&storyid=8104&-Find.>
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Congratulations to Recent IDM Graduates
Seven IDM students particiapted in the April 27 GSPH Convocation
Students participating in the April 27 GSPH Convocation were:
Ke-Chuang Wu, August 2008 MPH-Community & Behavioral Intervention concentration, Jennifer Lucado, April 2008 MPH-Bioscience of Infectious Diseases concentration, Suzy Hecker, April 2008 MPH-Community & Behavioral Intervention concentration, Shaylee O'Leary, June 2008 MS, Ashley Conley, June 2008 MS, Krisztina Baglyas, June 2008 MS, and Amar Pegu, August 2007 PhD.
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Other IDM students completing their degree program this June and August include: DrPH Candidate Bridget Calhoun, Monica Tomaszewski-Flick, PhD Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. David Rowe, Sherrianne Gleason, PhD Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes, Jill Montgomery, PhD Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Frank Jenkins, and Shauna Clark, PhD Candidate in the laboratory of Dr. John Mellors, and Jackeline Soto, MS Candidate in the lab of Dr. Phalguni Gupta.
Please see below for more information on the upcoming master's thesis and doctoral dissertation defenses scheduled in July.
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IDM Secondary Faculty Dr. Patrick Moore's Recent Research Developments on Viral Link to Skin Cancer
Article from the January 24, 2008 edition of the University Times
Pitt researchers have found a previously unknown virus strongly associated with a rare but deadly skin cancer called Merkel cell carcinoma.
In a paper published in the journal Science, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) researchers Huichen Feng, Masahiro Shuda, Yuan Chang and Patrick Moore explain a nearly decade-long effort to identify the virus, which they call Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV). While the research team emphasizes that its work does not prove MCV to be the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma, if the findings are confirmed, they may lead to new cancer treatment and prevention options.
Viruses, and some bacteria and parasites, are estimated to cause at least 20 percent of cancers worldwide. If MCV is confirmed to play a role in human cancer, it will be the eighth human tumor virus to be discovered.
“This is the first polyomavirus to be strongly associated with a particular type of human tumor,” said Moore, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the School of Medicine and leader of the molecular virology program at UPCI. The viruses have been shown to cause cancers in animals for more than 50 years, but Moore noted that additional research is needed to determine the role MCV may play in human cancers.
A rare but extremely aggressive cancer that spreads rapidly into other tissues and organs, Merkel cell carcinoma develops from specialized nerve cells that respond to touch or pressure. Cases of the cancer have tripled over the past 20 years to about 1,500 per year, especially among people with compromised immune systems. About half the patients with advanced stages of the cancer live nine months or less, and some two-thirds die within five years.
“If these findings are confirmed, we can look at how this new virus contributes to a very bad cancer with high mortality and, just as importantly, use it as a model to understand how cancers occur and the cell pathways that are targeted,” Moore said. “Information that we gain could possibly lead to a blood test or vaccine that improves disease management and aids in prevention.”
Although MCV is most commonly found in Merkel cell tumors, it also can be found in healthy people. The most important distinguishing feature is that MCV integrates into tumor cells in what is known as a monoclonal pattern, indicating that it infects the cell before the cell becomes cancerous. This suggests that MCV could be a trigger for tumor formation.
This is the second tumor-associated virus discovered by Moore and Chang, a husband-and-wife research team who also discovered Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) in 1993.
Funding for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health and the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
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IDM PhD Student Awarded Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health
Travel Award
Poonam Poonam, fifth year PhD student in Dr. Phalguni Gupta’s laboratory was awarded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Travel Award to attend the Keystone Symposia HIV Vaccines: Progress and Prospects (X7) meeting to be held March 26-April 1, 2008 in Banff, Canada.
This highly competitive award covers all travel costs as well as conference registration. Sixty awards to two Keystone meetings focusing on HIV were bestowed to individuals whose research is centered on the focus of the meeting. To be eligible for the Global Health Travel Awards applicants had to “originate from a nation affected by the health problem of the meeting topic.” The CEO and CSO of the Keystone Symposia reviewed the applications for this award. “The purpose of providing travel awards is to add to the diversity of experiences represented by participants at each meeting, Global Health Travel Awards.”
In addition to the travel award, Poonam was also invited to submit an abstract for the meetings poster session. At last year’s Deans Day event Poonam was awarded the Rosenkranz Award, designated for the research with the greatest public health significance for her presentation entitled Development of a mucosal vaccine approach against HIV-1 using recombinant Clostridium perfringens and HIV-1 virus like particles. Below is a picture of Poonam with GSPH Dean Donald Burke accepting her award.
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Dengue Vaccine Grants Awarded
Co-Researcher is IDM Secondary Faculty Member Dr. Ted Ross
Article from the December 6, 2007 edition of the University Times
Pitt’s Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) has received two grants totaling $4.8 million from the U.S. Department of Defense to develop a new vaccine strategy for dengue fever.
A major public health issue worldwide, the mosquito-borne dengue fever is caused by a virus that is a close relative to West Nile virus. The award will allow researchers Ted M. Ross of the School of Medicine and Donald S. Burke, professor and dean of the Graduate School of Public Health and CVR director, to improve survival outcomes for people infected with dengue fever.
CVR researchers are partnering with Novavax Inc. of Rockville, Md., to develop the vaccine.
Dengue virus is prevalent in tropical areas, with tens of millions of cases occurring each year. Hundreds of thousands of cases of the more severe dengue hemorrhagic fever occur with a fatality rate of about 5 percent.
“Our goal in this project is to generate a vaccine that will provide protection against all four of the different types of dengue virus worldwide,” said Ross. “A major problem in the development of effective dengue virus vaccines is the diverse strains of virus in circulation that do not readily offer cross-protective immunity.”
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News from the Pittsburgh Community Advisory Board of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group By Rodger Beatty, IDM assistant professor
Article from the Fall 2007 ACTG CAB Newsletter
The University of Pittsburgh is also a site for the newly formed NIHfunded Microbicide Trials Network (MTN). The leadership group of this new network is located in Pittsburgh at the Magee Women's Research Institute. The University of Pittsburgh research site will be expanded to incorporate both the ACTG and MTN trials. The funding of the site for both networks will provide the opportunity for us to contribute to improvements in care for those who are already HIV infected as well as to advance HIV prevention. CAB members voted to explore the mechanics of including more women so as to represent the community as one CAB for both the ACTG and MTN.
In addition to participation in studies sponsored by the ACTG and MTN, the University of Pittsburgh research site also is involved in studies sponsored by other mechanisms including the NIH and industry.
The University of Pittsburgh clinical research site will participate in a new study from the MTN: Adherence to Pharmacokinetics Study of Oral and Vaginal Preparations of Tenofovir (MTN 001). This study will enroll 144 sexually active HIV uninfected women between the ages of 18 and 45 at 6 sites including 24 women at Pitt. The primary objectives are to compare adherence to and acceptability of three daily regimens of tenofovir (oral, vaginal, and both) and to compare systemic and local pharmacokinetics between oral versus vaginal formulations of tenofovir in a subset of participants.
Adherence will assess the participant self reported product use. For each woman, adherence to each regimen will be computed by dividing the num ber of daily doses she reports having taken by the number of expected doses if she were fully adherent. Acceptability will be determined by the proportion of participants who indicate that they would be "unlikely" to use the study product in the future.
Microbicides are being developed as substances intended to reduce or pre vent transmission of HIV and/or other sexually transmitted infections when applied topically to genital mucosal surfaces. A significant body of in vitro, animal, and preliminary clinical data suggests that tenofovir holds promise as a safe and effective vaginal micro bicide. However, potential weakness for single-compound antiretroviral (ARV) treatment microbicides, such as tenofovir, is drug resistance. Expo sure to HIV resistant to the ARV in a microbicide might result in protection levels that are less than those perceived by the user. It remains unclear whether drug resistance (and associated limitations in future treatment options) could occur with a microbi cide containing a single ARV that is not significantly systemically absorbed. It has been posited that drug levels would likely be too low to select for drug resistant virus, but there are currently no data on this.
Tenofovir will be studied because of its favorable toxicity and resistance profile, demonstrated efficacy against HIV-1 infection in some animal studies and relatively rapid development path for use as a vaginal microbicide. The comparison of oral versus vaginal ten ofovir is being undertaken because each approach carries specific theoretical and operational advantages.
The September monthly CAB meeting was honored with the presence of two special guests: Morenike Ukpong, a pediatric dentist from Nigeria and CoChair of the Microbicide Trials Net work (MTN) Community Working Group (CWG) as well the Executive Committee Community Liaison, and Lydia Soto-Torres, MD, Medical Offi cer from the National Institute on Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Division of AIDS (DAIDS), were welcomed. They were in Pittsburgh for a meeting of the Microbicide Trials Network at Magee Women's Research Institute.
The initial microbicide trials were conducted from 1995 to 2000 as part of the HIV Network (HIVNET). From 2000-2006, the microbicide research agenda was expanded and was part of the research conducted by the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN). In 2006, the NIH funded a separate network devoted to the study of microbi cides. The MTN is based at Magee Women's Research Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. Sharon L. Hillier, PhD, is the Principal Investigator of this worldwide collaborative of clinical trials network that evaluates the safety and efficacy of microbicides designed to prevent HIV transmission. The mission of the MTN is to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV through the evaluation of products applied topically to mucosal surfaces or administered orally.
It is projected that in seven years of funding (2006-2013) the following questions will be answered:
1)
Can a chemoprophylactic agent applied topically or orally at least partially prevent HIV infection in women?
2) How can we best measure safety of topically applied microbicides?
3) How acceptable are these products to women and their partners, and how can we best measure adherence and its impact on effectiveness?
4) How can we move into other high risk populations such as pregnant women and adolescents?
5) Which strategy makes more sense for antiretroviral treatment (ART) prophylaxis in women, oral or topical?
The mission of the MTN Community Working Group is to conduct community preparedness and engagement activities to ensure the successful conduct of microbicide studies. The objectives are to ensure community input into science generation at the research process at a network level of the MTN, to develop mechanisms for sharing experiences, lessons learned, and best practices for community involvement in MTN research, and to build capacity for local communities to provide input into research at a site level of the MTN.
There are seven sites in sub-Saharan Africa, one in India, and two domestic sites in Cleveland and Pittsburgh. In addition, there are sites in Birmingham, AL, and Bronx-Lebanon, NY, that are part of the former HIV Prevention and Treatment Network.
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Pitt Opens Center for Vaccine Research
Numerous IDM faculty & students participate in the center
Article from October 1, 2007 edition of the Pitt Chronicle By: Clare Collins
Pitt leaders on Sept. 24 celebrated the opening of the Center for Vaccine Research (CVR) in the University’s 330,000-square-foot Biomedical Science Tower 3 (BST3).
The CVR houses both the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory and the Vaccine Research Laboratory and will allow Pitt to greatly expand research on naturally occurring diseases like SARS, West Nile virus, dengue fever, and tuberculosis. These diseases are of special interest because the lethal microbes that cause them could be exploited by terrorists.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, initially awarded Pitt $17.5 million in 2003 for construction of the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory (RBL), one of only 13 centers of its kind to receive NIAID funding and the second of this elite group to open nationally. Supplemental NIAID funding of $4.1 million and University support of $7.2 million increased the total construction budget to $28.8 million. In funding the lab, NIAID cited the nation’s lack of biosafety laboratories as a significant barrier to progress in biodefense research.
Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said, “Just as Jonas Salk and his Pitt team of researchers provided the polio vaccine to the world, the new Center for Vaccine Research will further our University’s commitment to developing new interventions to prevent infectious diseases—interventions that have the potential to significantly improve
global health.”
“We are gratified by the confidence and support NIAID has shown in us to develop this essential facility,” said Arthur S. Levine, Pitt senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine. “The Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, in concert with existing resources at the University of Pittsburgh, will enable us to greatly accelerate the development of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics for viruses and other infectious agents.”
The CVR is directed by Donald S. Burke, dean of Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center-Jonas Salk Professor of Global Health. The center will employ approximately 150 faculty, staff, and laboratory personnel and will complement other ongoing research at the BST3 in structural biology, computational biology, genomics and proteomics, neurobiology, and drug discovery.
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“With most epidemics, history has shown us that we are not helpless,” Burke said. “With the opening of the CVR, we will be better able to create new methods and strategies to keep potential epidemics under control and minimize their impact.”
Located within the CVR, the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory is a biosafety level-3 facility dedicated to research on agents that cause naturally occurring and emerging infections, as well as potential agents of bioterrorism. The labs within the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory are specially designed and constructed using the strictest federal standards, incorporating special engineering and design features to prevent microorganisms from being released into the environment. The 27,300-square-foot facility is available to assist national, state, and local public health efforts in the event of an infectious disease emergency, including an act of bioterrorism.
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(L-R) Donald S. Burke, MD, Director, CVR; Kelly S. Cole, PhD, Associate Director, RBL; Ronald C. Montelaro, PhD, Associate Director, CVR |
The CVR also houses the Vaccine Research Laboratory (VRL), which occupies 16,000 square feet and includes dedicated biosafety laboratories, specialized instrumentation rooms, offices, and conference rooms. The VRL offers an interactive research environment by providing access to microarray, robotic and mass spectrometry instrumentation. Much of the lab’s work will focus on understanding the variability of viruses and their ability to change over time, and learning how to recognize different viral strains.
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Archived News
- Dr. Linda Frank Receives Award from the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
- February 7 – Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – IDM Center Web site Stated in Governor’s Proclamation
- Peace Corps Master's International Program Available with IDM MPH Community & Behavioral Intervention of Infectious Diseases Concentration
- Pitt Researchers Find Stronger Evidence That Virus Causes Deadly Skin Cancer
- PhD Student Awarded Prize for Poster Presented at Pitt's Science 2008 Symposium
- Research on Pitt Men's Study is Awarded
by NIDA
- IDM Professor Receives Gates Foundation Grant
- LGBT Certificate Program Cited in University Times as "What's New?" for the 2008-09 Academic Year
- Pitt Scientists Receive $3.6 Million to Test Vaccine Against Deadliest Strain of Avian Flu
- Hepatitis C Virus May Need Help of Enzyme to Cause Liver Disease, Pitt Study Finds
-IDM Secondary Faculty Dr. Patrick Moore's Recent Research Developments on Viral Link to Skin Cancer
-IDM PhD Student Awarded Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Travel Award
-News from the Pittsburgh Community Advisory Board of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group From Fall 2007 ACTG CAB Newsletter
-Dr. Amy Hartman Joins IDM Faculty and the Center for Vaccine Research
-Pennsylvania Prevention Project Addresses HIV/AIDS within the African American Faith-Based Community
-CDC Awards $35 Million to Support HIV Testing and Increase - IDM professor Dr. Linda Frank receives over $200,000
-Science & Technology/Pitt-led Research Calls for Testing Hospital Water Supplies for Legionnaires' Disease Bacteria From Pitt Chronicle
-IDM Announces 2007 Public Health Scholarship Recipients
-"Decades of Discovery" Symposium Honors Dr. Monto Ho
-Awards to IDM MPH Students and Recent Graduates
-Five Decades of Discovery and Beyond: A Symposium to Honor Pitt Infectious Disease PioneerFrom
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences News Bureau
-HIV Infection Requires an Accomplice: B Cells with Special Protein Direct HIV to T Cells, Research Finds
--IDM Research Assistant Professor, Giovanna Rappocciolo Received Poster Award during University of Pittsburgh's Science 2006 Event
--Researchers Activate T Cells to Fight HIV, Will Use Method in Dendritic Cell Therapeutic Vaccine
--B Cells Play Crucial Role in HIV Infection
--IDM Showcased in GSPH Public Health Spring 2006 Edition
--Search and Destroy: Pitt Experts Battle Avian Flu & Other Nightmares
--Dr. Phalguni Gupta Appointed as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
--IDM Professor Emeritus Dr. Monto Ho Delivered Keynote Address at Yom Hashoa Program
- IDM Recent Alumni and Students Honored at Annual GSPH Alumni Dinner
- IDM Professor Elected to Committee of the University Senate
- IDM Professor and Doctoral Student Involved in Avian Flu Virus Vaccine Study in Animals
- Congratulations to Dean's Day Winners and to IDM Participants
- Two IDM Faculty Publish Article on Study of HIV Clinical Consultation Services
- Jonas Salk Honored with USPS Stamp
- Pennsylvania Public Health Association Meeting Included Presentation by IDM Student
- Dr. Charles Rinaldo Receives $3.3 Million Subcontract
- Dr. Charles Rinaldo Received Service Award
- Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes Develops Vaccine for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Based on Rare Serotype of Adenovirus
- Professor Emeritus, Dr. Monto Ho Releases Book Providing Reflections on his Scientific Accomplishments
- Dr. John Armstrong, Professor Emeritus, Praises Dr. Monto Ho's Book
- Dr. Ronald Montelaro Recognized as Pitt Innovator
- Fifth Major Award Granted to IDM Professor, Dr. Phalguni Gupta
- 8th Annual IDM Research Day - Poster Winners
- IDM Announces Public Health Scholarship Recipients
- University of Pittsburgh Receives $19 Million for HIV/AIDS Training of Region's
Health Care Work Force
- Dr. Tianyi Wang Joins IDM Faculty
- Pitt is 7th in NIH Funds
- Two IDM Secondary Appointment Faculty Promoted
- IDM Student Awarded First Place in UPCI Poster Contest
- IDM Chairman & Professors Participated in HIV/AIDS Workshop
- Prepublication Announcement of The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner's Guide to Service
- IDM Alumni & Students Honored at GSPH Convocation
- Public Health Scholarship
- Dr. Horace Gezon
- Dean's Day Winners
- IDM Showcased in GSPH Public Health magazine
Dr. Amy Hartman Joins IDM Faculty and the Center for Vaccine Research
She will serve as a research instructor in IDM and research manager of the Regional Biocontainment
Laboratory in the CVR
Dr. Hartman received her bachelor's degree in Biology from Washington and Jefferson College in 1998. She received her Ph.D. in Molecular Virology from the Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 2003. Her graduate thesis was done in the laboratory of Mickey Murphey-Corb, Ph.D. and focused on host factors controlling Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) infection in rhesus macaques. Dr. Hartman was then an ASM/NCID Post-doctoral Fellow in the Special Pathogens Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA under Stuart Nichol, Ph.D. Her work focused on viral virulence factors contributing to severe disease induced by infection with Ebola Zaire virus. She has extensive experience working in BSL-4 laboratories and has participated in outbreak response teams deployed to Africa for outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg viruses.
Dr. Hartman returned to the University of Pittsburgh in 2007 as the Research Manager of the Regional Biocontainment Laboratory as well as Research Instructor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology in the Graduate School of Public Health. As part of IDM and the CVR, she is interested in developing animal models for studying the pathogenesis of deadly bacterial and viral pathogens such as Avian Influenza, Monkeypox, and anthrax after aerosol infection. The disease course and illness after aerosol exposure to these and other pathogens is unknown and is of considerable interest for biodefense.
Dr. Hartman is glad to be back in Pittsburgh despite the wintery weather. She looks forward to meeting and interacting with the IDM students.
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Pennsylvania Prevention Project (PPP) Addresses HIV/AIDS within the African American Faith-Based Community
The PPP is a research center based out of IDM
Pennsylvania Prevention Project’s HIV/AIDS African American Faith-Based Leadership Initiative organized two events during the summer. The first was in partnership with The Balm in Gilead, Inc.’s “Our Church Lights the Way” national HIV testing campaign. Pittsburgh was one of 10 cities chosen by The Balm in Gilead, Inc. in collaboration with Abbott Laboratories to be featured during this year’s national campaign targeting faith-based communities. Many thanks are extended to Wesley Center AME Zion Church, located in the Hill District on Centre Avenue, for their willingness to host the event during their annual community day observance. Kudos are extended to the pastor and his wife, Rev. Glenn and Marsha Grayson, for electing to take the lead and be tested. Health coordinator from the Wesley Center AME Zion Church, Kristina Williams is a first year MPH student in IDM. During the event a total of 36 individuals were screened.
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“Our Church Lights the Way” HIV Testing Event, pictured from left to right:
Yvette Hayward, event coordinator, Rev. Glenn and Marsha Grayson of Wesley Center AME Zion Church, Kristina Williams,Wesley Center AME Zion Church health coordinator, and Tim Curges, Allegheny County health administrator. |
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“Our Church Lights the Way” HIV Testing Event. Kristina Williams, Wesley Center AME Zion Church health coordinator, Bob Lloyd, Allegheny Health Department, Debra Dennison, PA Prevention Project, Common Ground Coordinator, and Tim Curges, Allegheny Health Department. |
The second event, “Common Ground: HIV/AIDS 101 Leadership Training” was hosted at McLamb Memorial Church of the Living God in Harrisburg, PA. A total of 12 community outreach volunteers from AIDS Alert, Inc. received training.
Common Ground is one of the trainings offered through PA Prevention Project’s HIV/AIDS African American Faith-Based Leadership Initiative in collaboration with the Allegheny Conference of Mid Atlantic I Episcopal Area of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and The Balm in Gilead, Inc. This project targets African American faith based communities. Utilizing social cognitive theory, training participants are provided with the information and skills necessary to facilitate effective HIV/AIDS presentations designed to motivate African Americans to address HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination, seek HIV testing and know their status, encourage women aged 50 and above to dialogue with their primary care physician on HIV/AIDS related issues, and help make a difference by informing others about HIV/AIDS. This culturally specific science based curriculum utilizes a nonjudgmental perspective in it’s delivery of material through lecture, group discussion, skills building activities, and viewing of video clips. Participants are required to conduct a brief practice session at the conclusion of the training. For additional information contact: Debra Dennison at 412-383-3137.
The Pennsylvania Prevention Project (PPP) is a research/outreach center housed within IDM, whose mission is to contribute to decreasing HIV infection and morbidity and mortality associated with HIV and AIDS through scientifically based interventions. For more information on the PPP please visit their Web site at www.stophiv.com.
Congratulations go out to Debra Dennison, Health Educator for the PPP on her recent appointment to the National Minority AIDS Council’s (NMAC) newly formed board - National Capacity Building Advisory Board for the Division of Technical Assistance and Training.
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CDC Awards $35 Million to Support HIV Testing and Increase Early Diagnosis of HIV among African Americans
IDM professor Dr. Linda Frank receives over $200,000 in support from this recent CDC award
Press Release - For Immediate Release - September 27, 2007
Contact: National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention (404) 639-8895
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $35 million in funding to state and local health departments to increase HIV testing opportunities among populations disproportionately affected by HIV, primarily African Americans. Twenty-three states and major metropolitan areas will receive awards ranging from $690,000 to $5.4 million.
"This program seeks to test more than 1 million people with the primary goal of increasing early HIV diagnosis among African Americans," said Kevin Fenton, M.D., director of CDC$B!l(Bs National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention. "HIV testing provides a critical pathway to prevention and treatment services to prolong the lives of those infected and help stop the spread of HIV in the hardest hit communities across the United States."
As part of CDC$B!l(Bs efforts to accelerate progress in reducing HIV among African Americans, the program is being targeted to areas of the nation in which African Americans have been most severely impacted. African Americans account for approximately half of the more than 1 million Americans currently estimated to be living with HIV, while comprising 13 percent of the U.S. population.
"HIV among African Americans in our nation remains a major public health crisis," Dr. Fenton said. "Equipping every American with life-saving information about whether or not they are infected can play a major role in comprehensive efforts to reduce the toll of this devastating disease."
CDC estimates that a quarter of those living with HIV - more than 250,000 Americans - do not realize they are infected. The testing effort is intended to identify undiagnosed individuals, especially among those populations bearing a disproportionate burden of HIV disease.
"We estimate this program alone could identify nearly 20,000 people who are unaware that they are infected, allowing them to seek care for their own health and take steps to protect their partners," Dr. Fenton said.
Through this program HIV tests will be available primarily in clinical settings, such as emergency departments, community health centers, STD clinics, and correctional health facilities. While about 10 percent of the tests will be administered in non-clinical settings, the main focus of the program will be to implement routine, voluntary HIV testing in health care settings, where opportunities to screen patients for HIV are often missed.
The awards will help put into practice CDC$B!l(Bs 2006 Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings. Funds will be used to support HIV testing and related activities including linkage to care, partner counseling and referral services, and the purchase of HIV tests. A particular focus for the program will be integrating HIV testing activities with screening and prevention activities for other infections, such as viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. Because populations disproportionately affected by HIV are also disproportionately affected by these infections, integrating these services can significantly improve health.
Eligibility and funding amounts were based upon the percentage of AIDS cases among African Americans in each jurisdiction. The states receiving funding are: California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C. The cities receiving funding are Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and New York City.
The $35 million is part of a new $45 million program to expand access to HIV testing. The remaining $10 million will support a range of CDC programs to provide needed training to health care providers, mobilize communities to encourage HIV testing among African Americans, and reach both providers and those at risk with information on the importance of testing.
For more information on HIV prevention, visit www.cdc.gov/hiv. For more information on AIDS, visit
www.aids.gov.
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Content Source: Office of Enterprise Communication Page last modified:
September 27, 2007 Page Located on the Web at
http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/2007/r070927.htm
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Science & Technology/Pitt-let Research Calls for Testing Hospital Water Supplies for Legionnaries' Disease Bacteria
Dr. Victor Yu is a secondary faculty member of IDM
Article from September 10, 2007 edition of the Pitt Chronicle By: Michele D. Baum
A new study spearheaded by Pitt’s School of Medicine has determined that environmental monitoring of institutional water systems can help to predict the risk of hospital-acquired Legionella pneumonia, better known as Legionnaires’ disease.
Reported recently in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the 20-hospital study also calls for reconsideration of the current national infection-control policy to include routine testing of hospital water systems for Legionella, the bacterial group associated with Legionnaires’.
“Only those hospitals that had high levels of Legionella bacteria in their water systems had patients who contracted Legionnaires’ disease,” senior author and Pitt Professor of Medicine Victor L. Yu said of the study, which involved hospitals in 14 states. “Proactive monitoring of the hospital water supply alerted physicians to the hidden risk of Legionnaires’ disease for their patients.”
Legionella bacteria first were identified as causing pneumonia in 1976 following an outbreak among attendees of an American Legion convention at a Philadelphia hotel, resulting in the name Legionnaires’ disease. There are an estimated 20,000 cases of Legionnaires’ in the United States annually, many of them hospital-acquired, with an average fatality rate of 28 percent.
Currently, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that hospitals and other health care institutions monitor patients for pneumonia incidence before doing environmental surveillance of water systems that can harbor the bacteria.
“Based in part on our work, and in collaboration with the Allegheny County Health Department and the Three Rivers Association for Professionals in Infection Control, the development of proactive guidelines for hospital-acquired Legionnaires’ disease prevention has led to the virtual disappearance of this infection in Pittsburgh,” said study first author Janet Stout, a research assistant professor in the Pitt School of Engineering’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “We first reported the connection between hospital water supply and these infections in 1982.”
For this investigation, Yu, Stout, and colleagues evaluated samples of hospital-system water at 20 facilities across the country from 2000 to 2002. Water samples were retrieved from at least 10 separate sites at each hospital on multiple occasions over the two-year period. When cases of Legionnaires’ were identified, patient urine and sputum samples from 12 of the hospitals were tested to determine classification of Legionella, which has at least 48 strains.
The researchers found that 14 (70 percent) of hospital water systems tested positive for Legionella species, and that six (43 percent) positive-testing hospitals had high-level colonization. Legionnaires’ cases were found among the 633 patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia whose urine or sputum samples were tested for Legionella bacteria. All were traced to hospitals with high-level colonization.
“Our study provides much-needed evidence to support a national policy change to include routine environmental surveillance of health care facility water systems along with stringent clinical monitoring of patients,” said Stout, who estimates that 39,000 people have died of Legionnaires’ since 1982. “We think this long-overdue approach should be adopted by infection-control and infectious-disease practitioners nationwide.”
This study was based on the Pittsburgh methodology of routine testing of hospital water systems that also has been adopted by New York, Maryland, France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy.
Other authors and members of the Legionella Study Group included researchers at the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System; William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich.; the VA Medical Center, Omaha, Neb.; Southern Arizona Healthcare System, Tucson, Ariz.; the VA Medical Center, Wilmington, Del.; the Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio; the VA Medical Center, Dayton, Ohio; Stratton VA Medical Center, Albany, N.Y.; the VA Medical Center, Butler, Pa.; VA Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa; the VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Fla.; the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, Calif.; and the VA Medical Center, Long Beach, Calif.
The study was funded by a Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Review grant.
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IDM Announces 2007 Public Health Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations to First Year Students Sheri Hathaway and Charis Tjoeng
Instituted in 2004 to recognize academic excellence among incoming Master of Public Health and Master of Science students, the IDM Public Health Scholarship has again been awarded to two new master level students. The scholarship is based on undergraduate grades, Graduate Record Examination scores, personal statement, and letters of recommendation. This year’s recipients are Sheri Hathaway and Charis Tjoeng.
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A graduate of Penn State University with a Bachelor’s in Nursing, Sheri Hathaway resides in Nemacolin, Pennsylvania with her family. With over 10 years experience in the nursing field as a Licensed Practitioner Nurse and currently as a Registered Nurse, Sheri joins the IDM MPH program in the Community and Behavioral Intervention of Infectious Disease concentration. Her research interests include prevention and intervention of substance abuse and sanitation practices and controls in rural communities.
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Charis Tjoeng is a 2007 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley. At UC Berkeley she earned a Bachelor’s of Arts in Public Health. Originally from Pasadena, California Charis joins the Master of Science program for the 2007-08 academic year. Pediatric infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS are Charis’ research interests. She has also spent time volunteering abroad. In her spare time she enjoys yoga and Pilates. |
Support for this scholarship is provided by the Bob Yee Fund in the department. Donations to this fund can be made by personal check to the University of Pittsburgh, subscript “The Bob Yee Fund”, and sent to: University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Ms. Robin Tierno, Senior Administrator, A419B Crabtree Hall, 130 DeSoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Contact Ms. Robin Tierno with questions at: 412-624-3105 or e-mail rtierno@pitt.edu.
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Awards to IDM MPH Students and Recent Graduates
Awards were presented to IDM students and graduates during recent ceremonies and events
Nationality Rooms Scholarship
Katie Philp, MPH communicable diseases and behavioral health science track student, was one of 37 undergraduate and graduate level students selected for a Nationality Rooms Scholarship. The scholarships assist students to study-abroad during the summer semester. She received the Stanley Prostrednik Grant to work with the Kakamega Environmental Education Program to develop infectious disease health education programs for primary grade students in Kakamega, Kenya.
Further information on the Nationality Rooms Scholarships program and other students selected is available online in the April 29 edition of the Pitt Chronicle.
Delta Omega Honor Society
Ashley Petten, 2007 graduate of the MPH communicable diseases and behavioral health science track was nominated and inducted into the Delta Omega honor society. Ashley was bestowed this honor during the 2007 GSPH graduation convocation held on April 28. Along with the induction into Delta Omega Ashley was also honored as the 2007 Outstanding Master’s Student in IDM. Ashley is planning on attending medical school in the fall.
Delta Omega Thesis Award
Martinique Free, August 2006 graduate of the MPH communicable diseases and behavioral health science track received the Delta Omega Outstanding Thesis Award for her master’s thesis entitled “Utilizing Student Organizations on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Rural South to Facilitate HIV/AIDS Education.” This award was presented to Martinique at the annual GSPH Alumni Dinner held following the 2007 GSPH graduation convocation held on April 28. Martinique is currently employed by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control as a Human Services Specialist completing HIV Surveillance for a Region of the state. She also works on the Medical Monitoring Project, which is a CDC funded grant.
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IDM Students Awarded Prizes in GSPH Annual Dean's Day
Dean's Day was held on March 16
Congratulations to Adam Soloff and Poonam each awarded a prize in this year’s Dean's Day competition.
Adam, a PhD student in Dr. Barratt-Boyes’ lab, was awarded first prize in the doctoral category for his research poster titled Immunotherapeutic Adenoviral-Based Vaccination Enhances Cellular Immunity during Antiretroviral Treated Immunodeficiency Virus Infection.
The Rosenkranz Award, designated for the research with the greatest public health significance was awarded to Poonam, a PhD student in Dr. Gupta’s lab. Her presentation was titled Development of a mucosal vaccine approach against HIV-1 using recombinant Clostridium perfringens and HIV-1 virus like particles.
Congratulations to all of the IDM students who participated in the event. A total of eight IDM students were selected this year to participate in Dean’s Day.
IDM Student Research Presentations
Gordon Awandare, PhD student
Genetic variation in macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) promoter is associated with susceptibility to severe malaria in children
Jill D. Montgomery, PhD student
Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) and Its Association with Prostate Cancer in Tobago
Lance Presser, MS student
Detection of HHV-8 In Autopsy Samples From AIDS Patients
Jessica Radzio, PhD student
Molecular Mechanism of Synergy between Efavirenz and Zidovudine in HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase
Allison Remo, MS student
Sickle-cell trait (HbAS) is associated with decreased deposition of malarial pigment (hemozoin) in monocytes of children with acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria in western Kenya
Narasimhan Jayanth Venkatachari, PhD student
Receptor independent transfer of HIV-1 from infected T cell to dendritic cells: The other side of the Trojan horses
Over the past eight years that Dean's Day has been held at GSPH, IDM master and doctoral students have earned 15 awards. These awards ranged from 1st to 3rd place in the doctoral and master categories, as well as students who won the Delta Omega Poster Award and Rosenkranz Award for Greatest Public Health Significance.
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| Adam Soloff |
Allison Remo |
Jill Montgomery |
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| Jessica Radzio |
IDM students Allison Remo, Gordon Awandare, and Becky Bosko |
Lance Presser |
Top of Page | Archived News Headlines
r
The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) will hold a special scientific symposium on Thursday, Oct. 26, to honor the work of Monto Ho, M.D., a world-renowned infectious disease specialist and former chair of GSPH’s department of infectious diseases and microbiology.
Dr. Ho also was chief of the division of infectious diseases in the department of medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory in the department of pathology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Beginning at 9 a.m. in the GSPH auditorium (G23 Parran Hall), on the corner of Fifth Ave. and DeSoto St., Oakland, the symposium is an opportunity for the school to demonstrate its appreciation for Dr. Ho’s outstanding 40-year career at GSPH and the recent gift of $2 million by Dr. Ho and his wife, Carol, to establish an endowed chair in infectious diseases and microbiology at GSPH.
The symposium will include a series of scientific presentations, with each providing an historical perspective and a new look at a prominent area of public health and infectious disease research that included major discoveries by Dr. Ho and others at GSPH over the past five decades. The symposium will conclude with a look forward at emerging infectious disease challenges.
The research areas and speakers for the symposium are:
- 1950s – Dengue Virus: A flu-like viral disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, dengue hemorrhagic fever often is severe and fatal. A pandemic of dengue began in
Southeast Asia
after World War II and rapidly began spreading around the globe. Lecture will be presented by Derek Cummings, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and visiting assistant professor of biostatistics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
- 1960s – Interferon: First discovered in the late 1950s, during the 1960s, scientists began to define interferon’s immune-activating properties and demonstrated its antiviral and antitumor activity in laboratory animals and humans. Lecture will be presented by Charles Rinaldo, Jr., Ph.D., chair of the department of infectious diseases and microbiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and professor of pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
- 1970s – Cytomegalovirus (CMV): A common virus that is usually harmless and rarely causes illness in healthy individuals, CMV infection turned deadly in the 1970s among organ transplant recipients taking immune suppressing drugs to prevent transplant rejection. Lecture will be presented by Thomas E. Starzl, M.D., Ph.D., distinguished professor of surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and director emeritus of the Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute.
- 1980s – Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV): The first cases of HIV infection were diagnosed in the early 1980s and, since that time, the HIV/AIDS pandemic had become one of the greatest public health challenges of all time, infecting more than 40 million worldwide and killing millions each year. Lecture will be presented by John Mellors, M.D., professor of infectious diseases and microbiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, and director, HIV/AIDS Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
- 1990s – Epstein Barr Virus (EBV): The virus that causes infectious mononucleosis in young adults, in the 1990s researchers began linking EBV infection in adults with certain types of immune system cancers, such as lymphomas. Lecture will be presented by Cliona Rooney, Ph.D., professor of cell and gene therapy and professor of pediatrics, molecular virology and microbiology, Baylor College of Medicine.
- 2000s – Antibiotic Drug Resistance: One of the greatest public health challenges of the new millennium is the emergence of highly drug-resistant bacterial diseases, such as tuberculosis, that are spreading rapidly in many parts of the world. Lecture will be presented by Calvin Kunin, M.D., emeritus professor of Internal Medicine at the
Ohio
State
University
and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the
University
of
Arizona
.
- Beyond – Influenza Pandemics: Avian flu, which already has killed hundreds of millions of birds worldwide and has infected more than 250 people, killing half, is just the latest in a long succession of killer flu epidemics that have threatened mankind throughout the ages. Lecture will be presented by Donald Burke, M.D., dean, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and UPMC-Jonas Salk Professor of Global Health.
To find more information on the symposium go to: www.idm.pitt.edu/hosymposium.
Founded in 1948 and fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health, GSPH is world-renowned for contributions that have influenced public health practices and medical care for millions of people. One of the top-ranked schools of public health in the
United States
, GSPH was the first fully accredited school of public health in the
Commonwealth
of
Pennsylvania
, with alumni who are among the leaders in their fields of public health. A member of the Association of Schools of Public Health, GSPH currently ranks third among schools of public health in National Institutes of Health funding received. The only school of public health in the nation with a chair in minority health, GSPH is a leader in research related to women’s health, HIV/AIDS and human genetics, among others. For more information about GSPH, visit the GSPH Web site at www.publichealth.pitt.edu .
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HIV Infection Requires an Accomplice: B Cells will Special Protein Direct HIV to T Cells, Research Finds
New pathway that may aid in treating, prevention HIV reported at AIDS 2006
TORONTO, Aug. 12 – HIV infection of T cells requires activation of a molecule on the surface of B cells, a finding that reveals yet another pathway the virus uses in its insidious attack on the immune system, University of Pittsburgh researchers will report at the XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006).“The research supports a new role for B cells in the development and spread of HIV between cells, with important implications for future studies and drug development efforts that focus on reservoirs of HIV in cells other than T cells,” said Charles R. Rinaldo, Jr., Ph.D., professor and chairman of the department of infectious diseases and microbiology at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) and the study’s senior author.Nearly all approved HIV drug regimens and most of those being tested in clinical trials focus on T cells of the immune system, where HIV replicates and thrives. HIV hijacks T cells by binding to a cell membrane molecule called CD4 and to either or both of two other receptors, from which the two strains of HIV, X4 and C5, take their names. Once anchored on the membrane, it’s able to slither inside and take command of the cell. But as the Pitt studies have found, there is an important first step in a new pathway involving B cells that express a protein called DC-SIGN. B cells are key players in an immune response.While these cells themselves do not become infected, they play a pivotal role as an accomplice in HIV’s takeover of T cells.According to the research to be reported by Giovanna Rappocciolo, Ph.D., research assistant professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at GSPH, laboratory studies provide evidence of DC-SIGN in subsets of B cells from both healthy subjects and HIV infected individuals and indicate DC-SIGN is both a point of entry for HIV and necessary for T cell infection.B cells were isolated from blood samples obtained in 33 healthy subjects and 20 adult patients with HIV from the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Researchers found about 8 percent of these cells expressed DC-SIGN.In one set of studies involving cells from the healthy subjects, the team activated DC-SIGN using two molecules that T cells typically engage in their communication with B cells. Once activated, the DC-SIGN B cells were placed in a culture with T cells and a small amount of virus. Within 24 hours, HIV had begun invading the T cells, yet the B cells were spared. Although they did not become infected, B cells nonetheless harbored virus that was transmissible to T cells for up to two days. HIV had little effect on the T cells when B cells were not present in the culture. Pretreating the B cells with a molecule that blocks DC-SIGN before culturing them with both T cells and HIV was a deterrent against T cell infection as well, further proof that to invade T cells, HIV requires DC-SIGN to be expressed on B cells.In addition to Drs. Rinaldo and Rappacciolo, other authors include Paulo Piazza, Ph.D., Craig L. Fuller, Ph.D., Todd A. Reinhart, D.Sc., Simon C. Watkins, Ph.D., David T. Rowe, Ph.D., Mariel Jais, Aki Hoji, B.S., and Phalguni Gupta, Ph.D.The research was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Cancer Institute, both of the National Institutes of Health.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Drs. Rappocciolo will present B Lymphocytes express DC-SIGN and transmit HIV-1 to T lymphocytes (Abstract # TUPDA03 ) in the poster discussion, “Innate Immunity and Dendritic Cells,” Poster Discussion Site A, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 12:45-1:45 p.m., EDT. To arrange interviews with the authors, please call Lisa Rossi at 412-916-3315 (cell).
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IDM Announces Public Health Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations to Cynthia Klamar & Mary Elizabeth Kovacik
First year master’s level students Cynthia Klamar and Mary Elizabeth Kovacik were recently awarded the IDM Public Health Scholarship. This $1,000 award was based on undergraduate grades, Graduate Record Examination scores, personal statement, and letters of recommendation.
The IDM Public Health Scholarship was instituted in 2004 to recognize academic excellence among incoming MPH and MS students. This is the third year that the scholarship has been awarded to IDM master level students.
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A graduate of University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Cynthia Klamar is originally from Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania. While at UPG she earned at BS in Biology. Cynthia describes herself as an “all-around type of girl”. In her spare time she enjoys reading, outdoor activities, sports, and spending time with friends and family. Upon joining the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology as a Master of Science student, she was employed at Pittsburgh Cryobank, a reproductive tissue bank and laboratory.
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A graduate of Notre Dame University, Mary Elizabeth Kovacik is originally from Blairsville, Pennsylvania. While at Note Dame she earned at BS in Biology and a BA in Anthropology. Mary Elizabeth is also a doctoral student in biological anthropology program here in Pitt’s Department of Anthropology. Her professional interests include disaster response, forensic anthropology, and the control of the spread of infectious diseases. |
Support for this scholarship is provided by the Bob Yee Fund in the department. Donations to this fund can be made by personal check to the University of Pittsburgh, subscript “The Bob Yee Fund”, and sent to: University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Ms. Robin Tierno, Senior Administrator, A419B Crabtree Hall, 130 DeSoto Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Contact Ms. Robin Tierno with questions at: 412-624-3105 or e-mail rtierno@pitt.edu.
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Dr. Monto Ho, IDM Professor Emeritus, Donation to Establish Endowed Chair in IDM
Dr. and Mrs. Ho Pledge $2 Million To GSPH
A world-renowned infectious disease specialist and professor emeritus and former chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), Monto Ho, M.D., and his wife, Carol Ho, have pledged $2 million to GSPH to establish an endowed chair in infectious diseases and microbiology."The Hos’ generosity in establishing the Monto and Carol Ho Endowed Chair in Infectious Diseases and Microbiology will afford GSPH the opportunity to support the work of a world-class scientist in the area of fighting infectious epidemics, something that will be truly transformational for the department,” said Roberta Ness, M.D., interim dean of GSPH and professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology.
For nearly 40 years, Dr. Ho was a professor at GSPH. Mrs. Carol Ho was also affiliated with GSPH, serving as the school’s librarian from 1968 to 1972.
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Dr. Monto Ho and Mrs. Carol
Ho in a recent picture |
Dr. Ho’s many accomplishments include pioneering investigations into interferons, which are proteins produced by cells in the body in response to an attack by a virus. In addition, Dr. Ho’s laboratory revealed the source of viral infections that were occurring after organ transplantation, especially cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus infections, which were major complications of early organ transplants. Dr. Ho’s research and leadership of GSPH’s Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology are credited with building the department’s international reputation. Indeed, research conducted within the department has led to many ground-breaking accomplishments including clinical trials on passive immunizations against poliovirus, which directly aided the development of the Salk polio vaccine; the discovery of encephalitis viruses and adeno-associated viruses; research into the mechanisms of microbial infections at the cellular and molecular level; and studies of the molecular, immunologic, epidemiologic, and biologic aspects of disease control and prevention. The department also established the Pitt Men’s Study, one of the largest and longest-running cohort studies of HIV infection, which includes findings of the predictive value of viral load in the development of AIDS. “Dr. Monto Ho is an esteemed leader in public health research whose scholarship and wisdom is an inspiration and a role model for all of us. We are deeply grateful that Monto and Carol Ho have chosen to perpetuate this legacy at our school,” said Bernard D. Goldstein, M.D., former dean of GSPH.In 1997, Dr. Ho left GSPH to become the director in the Division of Clinical Research and a distinguished fellow at the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan. Because the country’s overuse of antibiotics had led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, he recognized the need to enhance the quality of training of infectious disease physicians. His efforts caused the appropriate use of antibiotics to become a national health priority. Since 2002, Taiwan’s antibiotic use has fallen 50 percent and evidence is beginning to show that the drugs are working as well as they should. During his more than half-century career, Dr. Ho authored almost 300 publications, including articles in the New England Journal of Medicine, Science, and the Journal of Infectious Diseases. His most recent book, Several Worlds: Reminiscences and Reflections, is a memoir that follows his life from childhood as the son of a Chinese diplomat through his research career, including his seminal work in Pittsburgh on interferon and his work in Taiwan on the control of antibiotic resistance. In addition to stories from childhood, Dr. Ho details his experiences traveling the world and meeting the people who influenced his life’s work, including internationally recognized transplant pioneer Thomas E. Starzl, M.D., and those he encountered through his work in Taiwan.On June 14, at 12:30 p.m., an event to promote Several Worlds will be held at the University of Pittsburgh’s Book Center. Dr. Ho will be discussing topics in and related to his book, including Chinese culture, his childhood in Austria during WWII, his recent work in Taiwan, and his research. Later this year, in September, a symposium will held in Dr. and Mrs. Ho's honor. The event will be coordinated through the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology and will feature internationally-renowned experts in the field of emerging infectious diseases. Further details are forthcoming.
Press release courtesy of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center available on UPMC News Bureau Web site.
The University of Pittsburgh University Times article about Dr. Ho's donation is available on the University Times Web site.
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Dr. Rappocciolo's poster entitled "B Lymphocytes express DC-SIGN and transmit HIV-1 to T lymphocytes" was awarded one of four awards during the University of Pittsburgh's Science 2006 event. The poster awards took place during the closing events on Friday October 6. There were 200 posters submitted and 176 posters accepted into the two day competition. Additional authors on Dr. Rappocciolo's poster were: Piazza P., Fuller C, Reinhart T., Watkins S., Rowe D, Jais M., Gupta P, and Rinaldo C.
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Researchers Activate T Cells to Fight HIV, Will Use Method in Dendritic Cell Therapeutic Vaccine
University of Pittsburgh researchers report findings at AIDS 2006
TORONTO, Aug. 12 – Having their immune system cells go through a laboratory version of boot camp may help patients win their battle against HIV, believe University of Pittsburgh researchers. In essence, that’s the concept behind the development of a novel therapeutic vaccine loaded with a patient’s own souped up dendritic cells, which have been galvanized to rally other cells of the immune system in fighting the virus unique to that individual.
At the XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006), University of Pittsburgh researchers will describe one of the steps that is key to the approach’s success – modifying the dendritic cells in such a way that they will get the attention of killer T cells. Results of these studies will be incorporated into the protocol for a clinical trial of the vaccine, which is expected to begin later this year.“The goal of the approach is to teach killer T cells to more efficiently find, detect and destroy HIV infected cells. Our vaccine, as an immunotherapy, is custom-designed to target the unique virus that has evolved in each individual being treated. A patient’s own dendritic cells together with their unique viral antigens comprise the main elements of the vaccine,” said Charles R. Rinaldo, Jr., Ph.D., professor and chairman of the department of infectious diseases and microbiology at Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) and the study’s senior author.In particular, the approach aims to activate a type of T cell called a CD8, or cytotoxic, T cell, also known as a killer T cell. In a typical immune response, CD8 cells are called to action by dendritic cells. Persons infected with HIV and being treated with antiretroviral drugs can control but not eliminate HIV infection. If the drug therapy is discontinued, the virus comes roaring back. Dr. Rinaldo and others have hypothesized that this is because the drug therapy does not completely restore CD8 cell immunity to the virus. So, in trying to figure a way to activate the CD8 cells to more efficiently control HIV, the researchers focused on a molecule called interleuken-12 (IL-12). When dendritic cells recognize and capture viral antigens, they work together with CD4 T cells to release IL-12, which in turn triggers stimulation of killer CD8 cells that are specific to the virus.Reporting at AIDS 2006, Xiao-Li Huang, M.D., research assistant professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at GSPH, said that IL-12 could be increased when CD40 ligand, a substance that binds to certain immune cells, and interferon gamma were added to dendritic cells.In the study, white blood cells called monocytes were obtained from both HIV patients and individuals not infected with the virus. In the laboratory, the researchers coaxed them to differentiate into mature dendritic cells, and they were grown in culture with the addition of various substances to boost their potency. Separately, the researchers combined a small amount of the patient’s HIV with their CD4 cells, in order to “super infect” them. In these now super-infected cells, the researchers inactivated the virus by promoting a process called apoptosis, or programmed cell death. In their dying state and with trace amounts of viral antigen still present, these CD4 cells were placed in culture with the beefed up dendritic cells. Recognizing the cells as foreign, the dendritic cells processed the antigen. Importantly, the dendritic cells presenting the HIV fragments were able to stimulate CD8 cells when the two cell types were combined.“This model of T cell activation by dendritic cells provides a basis for immunotherapy trials of persons with HIV infection,” said Dr. Huang.The trial should be enrolling patients within the year, pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The researchers have already completed a similar trial in 18 patients that proved the approach is safe. In that trial, the vaccine was derived using a readily available HIV protein. Even with this somewhat generic approach, T cell immunity was enhanced.“Quite likely, it will be a combination of anti-viral drugs and some sort of immunotherapy, such as a therapeutic vaccine, that will be the most effective weapon against HIV,” noted Dr. Rinaldo.In addition to Drs. Rinaldo and Huang, other authors of the study include Zheng Fan, M.D., GSPH, and Pawel Kalinski, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, department of surgery. The research was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Dr. Rinaldo will present Immunomodulation of dendritic cells from HIV-1 infected persons for enhanced stimulation of anti-HIV-1 T cell immunity (Abstract # TUPDA08) in the poster discussion, “Innate Immunity and Dendritic Cells,” Poster Discussion Site A, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 12:45-1:45 p.m., EDT. To arrange interviews with the authors, please call Lisa Rossi at 412-916-3315 (cell).
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B Cells Play Crucial Role in HIV Infection
As published in the July 20, 2006 edition of the University Times Research Notes
HIV infection of T cells requires activation of a molecule on the surface of B cells, a finding that reveals yet another pathway the virus uses in its attack on the immune system, report Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) and School of Medicine researchers in PLoS Pathogens, a journal published by the Public Library of Science. The findings suggest a need for developing a class of antiviral drugs targeted against this molecule and offer an avenue that may prove critical for the prevention of HIV.
Most efforts to thwart HIV focus on T cells, where the virus replicates and thrives. The new research identifies an important first step in the infection process involving B cells that express a protein called DC-SIGN. The B cells do not become infected, but they play a pivotal role in the virus’s takeover of T cells.
“We have new insight into how the virus does its damage. The pathway is surprisingly simple, yet it has important implications for future studies and drug development efforts that focus on reservoirs of HIV in cells other than T cells,” said Charles R. Rinaldo Jr., professor and chairman of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology at Pitt’s GSPH and the study’s senior author.
In one set of studies involving cells from healthy subjects, researchers activated DC-SIGN using two molecules that T cells typically engage in their communication with B cells. Once activated, the DC-SIGN B cells were placed in a culture with T cells and a small amount of virus. Within 24 hours, HIV had invaded the T cells while sparing the B cells. When researchers repeated the experiment without B cells, the HIV had little effect on the T cells alone. Pretreating the B cells with a molecule that blocks DC-SIGN activation before culturing them with both T cells and HIV was a deterrent against T cell infection as well, further proof that to invade T cells, HIV requires DC-SIGN expressed on B cells.
DC-SIGN was first identified as a dendritic cell-specific binding site for HIV, but this study shows that B cells expressing DC-SIGN also are used by HIV to facilitate infection of T cells.
“As has been observed in DC-SIGN dendritic cells, we suspect the B cells internalize the virus and that the DC-SIGN serves as sort of a bridge HIV uses to reach the surface of T cells,” said Giovanna Rappocciolo, associate professor of infectious diseases and microbiology at GSPH and the study’s first author.
Other GSPH researchers involved in the study are Paulo Piazza, Craig L. Fuller, Todd A. Reinhart, David T. Rowe, Simon C. Watkins, Mariel Jais and Phalguni Gupta.
The research was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
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Search & Destroy: Pitt Experts Battle Avian Flu & Other Nightmares
The Following University Times article is a follow-up to the May 16 Special Seminar
With all the talk of potential avian flu pandemics or bioterrorism in the news, it’s hard to know who or what to believe.
In the third talk in the University’s six-part mini-medical school community health education series, a trio of disease fighters described their roles in the battle against the viruses and bacteria that can cause outbreaks of illness in humans.
The May 16 talk featured Pitt researchers Andrea Gambotto and Simon Barratt-Boyes, co-developers of an avian flu vaccine, and Lee H. Harrison a former Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Barratt-Boyes discussed how diseases can make the jump from animals to humans, while Gambotto offered details about the new genetically engineered avian flu vaccine and how it works.
Harrison, an epidemiology professor in the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), began the evening’s session by sharing his experience as a front-line EIS investigator into the causes of disease outbreaks.
Although EIS may not be a familiar name, its work is well known. EIS officers have figured prominently in a number of high- profile health-related headlines including the eradication of smallpox and polio, the discovery of how AIDS is transmitted and response to terrorist attacks, including 9/11.
More recently, EIS officers responded to the October 2001 anthrax attacks, the 2004 salmonella outbreak that was traced to tomatoes from Sheetz stores and, closer to home, the 2003 Chi-Chi’s hepatitis outbreak in Beaver County that sickened 660 people and eventually killed four.
The CDC program has been in existence since 1951, when it was developed as a way to train physicians and scientists in detecting early signs of biological warfare. EIS officers, who serve two-year assignments, now number in the thousands.
During his own tenure as an EIS officer, Harrison investigated an outbreak of food-borne illness in Peru, anthrax among the Lengua Indians in Paraguay, a meningitis outbreak among Hajj pilgrims returning from Mecca, pinkeye at a New Mexico Navajo boarding school and meningitis among children on a Lexington, Va. school bus.
He drew on his personal experience in investigating a mystery illness that was killing Brazilian infants and children in a small town near São Paulo to describe how EIS officers seek causes and cures for disease outbreaks.
“You go into it having no idea of what it is or what is causing it,” he said. The purpose of an outbreak investigation is threefold, he told the Scaife Hall audience. The first goal is to identify the infectious agent. “Once you’ve got the bug you can begin to address how to treat it,” Harrison said. Second, it’s important to identify the source and the risk factors for the illness. “You want to be able to nip it in the bud,” he explained.
And, finally, and most important: “You want to control the outbreak.”
Two decades ago, Harrison was among the investigators summoned by Brazilian health officials to the town of Promissao, near São Paulo, where young children were dying within hours of coming down with a fever and a rash. Although the symptoms appeared to be similar to meningitis, tests for the disease were negative.
The first practical step in an outbreak investigation: “Listen to the person who picks you up at the airport,” Harrison said. “Very often they have been very involved in the outbreak” and can offer valuable information.
In this case, he learned that the children who were becoming ill had recently had pinkeye, a fact that later proved to be key.
Next, investigators confirm that there actually is an outbreak and verify the diagnosis by examining victims. They then methodically define and identify each case and describe the outbreak in terms of time, person and place.
Armed with the factual information, a hypothesis is developed and tested until control and prevention activities can be implemented.
The hypothesis they developed in Promissao was that the disease was a bacterial infection and that pinkeye put children at risk for it.
During the Promissao outbreak no infectious agent was identified but in a second outbreak the following year in a nearby region, blood cultures were able to shed some light on the cause: haemophilus aegyptius, which typically causes benign pinkeye. “Actually it was one of the first bacteria discovered in the 1880s,” Harrison said, adding that it didn’t make sense that this organism might be killing young children. DNA testing later found that this disease, which became known as Brazilian Purpuric Fever (BPF), was caused by a new clone of the bacteria. “We found there was an extra piece of DNA... which was unique to the new strain,” he said. That extra DNA allowed the relatively benign bacteria to become more virulent. “It appeared to be a mutant strain,” Harrison said.
A case study showed a correlation between exposure to pinkeye and the subsequent fever.
“We now knew the cause and needed to work quickly to prevent the spread,” Harrison said. “We knew if it got to the city of São Paulo we’d have a massive outbreak.”
The idea of developing a vaccine was considered, but a simple solution was found: Instead of treating the children’s pinkeye with eyedrops that would cure the pinkeye but leave bacteria elsewhere in the body, oral antibiotics were substituted. Because they circulated through the entire body, the bacteria were killed throughout.
The final step in such an investigation, Harrison said, is to communicate the findings in scientific literature to inform the medical community.
The team published their results on the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) and in the Brazilian literature to inform others in the health care community. MMWR is available on line at cdc.gov/mmwr and, Harrison said, is a reliable source for information on emerging disease outbreaks.
Animal-human transmission of diseases
More than 200 diseases are known to be transmittable from humans to animals or vice versa, said Simon Barratt-Boyes, an associate professor in the GSPH Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology. Among them are zoonotic diseases such as rabies, West Nile fever, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and avian flu that may be transmitted from animals to humans.
The process of zoonosis most often refers to diseases transferred to humans by other vertebrates, he said.
Barratt-Boyes noted that zoonotic diseases frequently arise from tropical areas, citing West Nile fever and Dengue fever as examples.
“It’s interesting to note that some of these fairly obscure diseases that we don’t hear about develop the ability to spread to temperate countries like the United States,” he said, adding that it’s likely such diseases will continue to emerge.
He predicted global warming will contribute to the rise of zoonotic diseases as they adapt to temperate climates. Sprawl also will play a role as people spread further into areas where diseases such as rabies and hantavirus exist.
The best-known of the zoonotic diseases is rabies, a virus that can infect humans directly or be transmitted by creatures such as raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes. The almost-always fatal disease has declined in domestic animals since the 1950s thanks to vaccination requirements. But the overall number of animal cases has tripled due to increasing numbers of cases in the wild. “Rabies is not going away,” he said.
A zoonotic disease that is on the rise in humans is West Nile virus. “It’s not an uncommon infection,” Barratt-Boyes said, noting that nearly 1,000 cases have been reported in California.
The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes and typically cannot be passed from person to person. Although most people who are infected have mild symptoms or none at all, about 1 in 150 will develop illness that can include fever, headache, disorientation, convulsions, vision loss and paralysis. In severe cases, the neurological effects may be permanent.
Prevention of West Nile virus is centered around the use of insect repellent, avoiding mosquitoes and eliminating mosquito breeding sites.
A relatively new zoonotic disease is hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, identified in 1993. Symptoms of hantavirus include fever, muscle pain, headache, chills, dizziness, cough and gastrointestinal symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose. The potentially deadly disease is spread through the urine, droppings or saliva of rodents.
Cases in the United States are concentrated in the West and Southwest; it also is present in Central and South America. Typically, humans are infected by inhaling the virus, although human-to-human transmission is suspected in South America. There is no treatment, Barratt-Boyes said.
Although the domestic house mouse is not a carrier of hantavirus, other rodents such as deer mice, white-footed mice, cotton rats and rice rats harbor the disease, and controlling such rodents is the main weapon against the virus, Barratt-Boyes said.
The zoonotic disease getting the most attention by far today is avian flu. Vaccination will be the main tool to fight an avian flu pandemic along with attempts to eliminate the virus from avian sources, something Barratt-Boyes said is a Herculean task.
Because the flu virus is harbored in migrating aquatic birds, effectively controlling it is difficult, since wild bird flyways span national borders and continents. “One of the very scary things about avian influenza is the speed with which the virus can act,” he said, noting that there have been three flu pandemics in the past century alone.
“The risk is that the virus will develop the ability through the mutation of certain genes to develop the ability to spread human-to-human,” he said.
He cautioned listeners to be aware of zoonotic diseases, but to take precautions based on an assessment of one’s own risk for a particular disease. He also urged the audience not to believe everything they read, but to use reliable sources for information.
“I think the Internet is a great place to look,” he said, but cautioned that not everything is trustworthy. “I’d stick to CDC and NIH (National Institutes of Health), not individuals’ web sites,” he said.
A new avian flu vaccine
Researcher Andrea Gambotto, an assistant professor of surgery and of molecular genetics and biochemistry in the School of Medicine, wrapped up the evening with a discussion of how flu vaccines are developed and, more specifically, Pitt researchers’ development of an avian flu vaccine that has been proven effective in animal models.
The influenza virus, Gambotto said, is a zoonotic disease that sometimes is transmitted between animals and humans.
Avian influenza, which has been documented as the cause of 115 deaths among more than 200 identified human cases, has spread throughout Asia and now is being found in Europe and Africa, mainly in the wild bird population.
Unlike forms of flu that mainly affect the upper respiratory system, the H5N1 avian flu (named for the specific proteins it uses to attach to the cells it infects) is particularly deadly because it can infect multiple body systems including the kidneys, central nervous system and liver.
Medication such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) can treat it, but vaccines are needed for prevention.
The new generation of vaccines Gambotto’s group is working on are genetically engineered live viruses that are delivered using the common cold virus, rather than inactivated traditional vaccines that are used for other influenza viruses.
Although inactivated virus vaccines are safe, easy and relatively inexpensive to produce, they have a number of disadvantages.
They stimulate only one aspect of the immune response — the production of antibodies — and offer only a short period of immunity, hence the need for annual flu shots.
But Gambotto said the biggest limiting factor is that these vaccines must be produced in fertilized eggs, which limits production capacity.
Genetically engineered vaccines, on the other hand, are used by taking a common cold virus and deleting the parts it uses to replicate, while inserting fragments of the proteins found in the avian flu virus to form a hybrid that can infect cells, stimulating immunity, but can’t replicate.
“It makes the immune system think it’s infected with influenza, but it’s just a common cold virus,” he explained.
Among the advantages of genetically engineered live vaccines are that they stimulate both the humoral immune response (production of antibodies) and a cellular response in the T-cells, producing a broader, stronger immunity. Disadvantages include the chance that a person may already have a pre-existing immunity to the cold virus that is used to deliver the vaccine.
In Gambotto’s experiment, most of the mice that received the vaccine survived exposure to the H5N1 virus, while all those who were not vaccinated died. Subsequent tests in chickens showed that all those that received an injection of the vaccine survived exposure to the H5N1 infection; half the chickens that were immunized through the nose survived the virus, and all those who received no vaccine died.
“Now we are at the stage where we have to test the safety and efficacy of the vaccine in humans,” Gambotto said, adding that the team is waiting for funding to do so.
In addition to being effective, Gambotto said the genetically engineered vaccine has the advantage of being able to be generated quickly.
Current technology allows such a vaccine to be developed within 30 days, which Gambotto said would be very important in case of a pandemic.
And the vaccine can be produced in large quantities, without the need for fertilized eggs. “Basically there is no limit,” he said, adding that the 2 billion to 4 billion doses experts estimate would be needed during a pandemic could be produced through cell culture systems.
“If a pandemic hits, we won’t have much time,” he said.
—Kimberly K. Barlow
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Dr. Phalguni Gupta Appointed as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
A message from Interim Dean Roberta Ness and Incoming Dean Donald Burke:
Phalguni Gupta, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, will succeed Meryl Karol, PhD as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs effective July 1, 2006. Dr. Karol ends her tenure after almost four years in the position. She has been an excellent administrator for GSPH, showing great personal concern to promote academic achievement and advancement of our faculty, to remove obstacles to faculty productivity, and to provide instruction of academic rules and guidelines. Her dedication and representation of GSPH in many capacities has served the school extremely well and deserves our sincere thanks. Dr. Gupta has served as the Chair of the Faculty Advancement, Promotion and Tenure Committee for the past six years and Vice Chair of IDM for nine years. He is well qualified to assume the role of Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. He is a proven administrator with great familiarity and knowledge of our processes and procedures.
Dr. Gupta has an outstanding record in teaching and research. He also has served the university extensively at all levels, has been active in professional societies, and has established significant collaborations with external partners. With this array of activities and experiences, Dr. Gupta brings to the associate dean position an important faculty perspective and an appreciation of both the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for GSPH.We are delighted that Dr. Gupta is willing to serve the school in this new role. We are convinced he will bring his characteristic enthusiasm and skill to this demanding job. Please join us in thanking Meryl Karol and congratulating Phalguni Gupta on his appointment.
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Dr. Gupta's Appointment In University Times June 22
People of the Times
Phalguni Gupta, professor at the Graduate School of Public Health, will succeed Meryl Karol as associate dean for academic affairs at GSPH, effective July 1. Karol ends her tenure after almost four years in the position.
Gupta has served as the chair of the faculty advancement, promotion and tenure committee for the past six years and vice chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology for nine years.
He has been active in professional societies and has established collaborations with external partners.
Gupta’s research interests include the genetic variation of HIV, cellular and molecular basis of HIV pathogenesis, development of novel vaccine vectors against HIV, biochemical and molecular epidemiology of AIDS, molecular mechanisms of sexual transmission of HIV and molecular epidemiology and pathogenesis of HIV.
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IDM Professor Emeritus Dr. Monto Ho Delivered Keynote Address at Yom Hashoa Program
Dr. Ho also served as chair of the department
Dr. Monto Ho delivered the keynote address at the annual Yom Hashoa/Holocaust Remembrance Day Program on April 25. The event was sponsored by the sponsored Holocaust Center of the United Jewish Federation. The program commemorated those non-Jews who saved Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Dr. Ho's father, Feng Shan Ho, who served as the Chinese Consul General to Vienna from 1938-1940 issued Chinese visas to Austrian Jews in Vienna. It is estimated that Feng Shan Ho saved the lives of 12,000 Jews. After 40 years in the diplomatic service, Ambassador Ho retired to San Francisco where he died in 1997 at the age of 96. In 2000, he was recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. Dr. Ho, and his sister, Manli Ho, were on hand to accept the honor on behalf of their father. Further information on the ceremony held in April, is available on the United Jewish Federation of Pittsburgh Web site. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article on the accomplishments of Dr. Ho's father, Chinese Consul General Feng Shan Ho, can be accessed on the Tribune-Review's Web site. Dr. Ho's biosketch is available on the IDM Faculty Web page.
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IDM Recent Alumni and Students Honored at Annual GSPH Alumni Dinner
Two IDM Alumni and Two Current Students Receive Awards
IDM alumni Dr. Urvi Parikh and Elizabeth Schafer, MS were both honored with the Outstanding Student Award. Each GSPH department selects two students, one at the doctoral level and one at the master level, at the conclusion of each academic year for this award. Dr. Parikh received her PhD in August of 2005 while under the director of her advisor Dr. John Mellors. Also an August 2005 graduate, Elizabeth Schafer received her MS degree under the director of her advisor Dr. Velpandi Ayyavoo. Current PhD students Sherrianne Gleason and Shauna Clark were recognized for their participation and service to the School as officers of the GSPH Student Government Association for the past year. The awards were presented at the 2006 GSPH Alumni Dinner, an annual event held after the GSPH Convocation on Saturday April 29.
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IDM Professor Elected to Committee of University Senate
Dr. Rodger Beatty is an Assistant Professor in IDM
Dr. Beatty was elected to serve on the Commonwealth Relations committee of the University Senate. This committee appointment is for a three-year term. Other committees and recently elected members can be located in the May 11 edition of the University Times.
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IDM Professor and Doctoral Student Involved in Avian Flu Virus Vaccine in Animals
The results of this study were published in the February 2006 edition of the Journal of Virology
Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes and doctoral advisee Adam Soloff participated in and co-authored Dr. Andrea Gambotto's study investigating a vaccine against the avian flu in mice and chickens. The vaccine they produced provided a 100 percent protection against the H5N1 virus. Dr. Barratt-Boyes is quoted in the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center press release as stating, "this means that this recombinant vaccine can stimulate several lines of defense against the H5N1 virus, giving it greater therapeutic value. More importantly, it suggests that even if H5N1 mutates the vaccine is still likely to be effective against it."The entire University of Pittsburgh Medical Center press release is available on the UPMC News Bureau Web site. This news item also made national news and is featured on ABC news' Web site.
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Congratulations to Dean's Day Winners and IDM Participants
Dean's Day is an annual event at the Graduate School of Public Health
Five IDM MS and PhD students presented six projects during the events of Dean's Day on March 17. Doctoral students Gordon Awandare, Sherrianne Gleason, and Nada Melham presented their projects during the oral presentation sessions. Chi-Yi Yu and Sherrianne Gleason, both doctoral students, presented posters during the two poster sessions along with Lance Presser, MS student.
Sherrianne Gleason was awarded third place for her oral presentation "Implementing a Teaching Module on Bioterrorism for High School Students." She was also awarded fourth place for her poster on "Characterizing Dendritic Cell Uptake of Membrane-Associated Tumor Antigen From Live Cells." Sherrianne is a doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes.
Gordon Awandare's presentation was entitled "Decreased Circulating Macrophase Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) is Associated with Severe Malarial Anemia (SMA) in Children: Roles of Hemozoin Deposition and Genetic Variation in the MIF Promoter." He is a doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. Douglas Jay Perkins.
"Dendritic Cells Expressing Autologous Viral RNA Stimulate T-cell Responses that Accurately Reflect Antigenis Variation During SIV Infection" was the oral presentation given by Nada Melhem, doctoral student in Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes’ laboratory.
Lance Presser presented a poster during this year's Dean's Day entitled "Detection of HHV-8 in Autopsy Samples from AIDS Patients." He is a first year Master of Science student working with Dr. Frank Jenkins.
Chi-Yi Yu is a doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. Xiao Xiao. Her poster for the Dean's Day competition was entitled "Efficient and Selective Gene Transfer Directed to Muscle by Tropism-Modified Adeno-Associated Virus Vector."
| IDM Students Who Presented Posters During Dean's Day 2006 |
 |
 |
 |
| Sherrianne Gleason |
Lance Presser |
Chi-Yi Yu |
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Two IDM Faculty Publish Article on Study of HIV Clinical Consultation Services
Article Published in the Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services
Drs. Linda Frank and Richard Day's article, "Evaluation of HIV Clinical Consultation Provided by the AIDS Education and by the Training Centers: Improving Clinical Capacity to Provide HIV Treatment," was published in the Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services volume 4, number two. An assistant professor in the department, Dr. Frank is also the Principal Investigator and Executive Director of the Pennsylvania/MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center. Dr. Richard Day holds a primary appointment in the Department of Biostatistics and a secondary appointment in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology as an assistant professor. The full article is available on the Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services Web site.
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Jonas Salk Honored with USPS Stamp
Article from March 13, 2006 edition of the University of Pittsburgh Pitt Chronicle
In a public ceremony last Wednesday in Pitt’s Salk Hall, officials from the U.S. Postal Service, the University of Pittsburgh, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania partnered to unveil the newest stamp in the Postal Service’s Distinguished Americans series, a 63-cent definitive stamp bearing a portrait of Jonas Salk, created by artist Mark Summers after a March of Dimes photograph of Salk taken in Pitt’s Virus Research Laboratory in October 1954. Just six months later—in April 1955, after an unprecedented nationwide clinical trial—the killed-virus polio vaccine developed by Salk and his Pitt research team was declared ‘safe and effective’ and approved for widespread public use, defeating one of the most dreaded diseases of modern times. Salk Hall was formerly the Municipal Hospital for Contagious Diseases, where Salk and the Pitt research team developed the breakthrough vaccine, and the ceremony took place in a 4th-floor room adjacent to the permanent exhibit commemorating the development of the Salk polio vaccine. Speaking at the event were, from left to right, Pittsburgh polio survivor Maxine Fisher; Randy Juhl, the University’s vice chancellor for research conduct and compliance; Richard Sekinger, postmaster of Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh polio survivor Beatrice Slutsky; Charles Rinaldo Jr., professor and chair of infectious diseases and microbiology in Pitt’s Graduate School of Public Health; and Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll, who read a proclamation in honor of the event. Not pictured is Charles J. Vukotich Jr., adjunct assistant professor of health policy and management in the Graduate School of Public Health, who served as master of ceremonies. Salk now joins the company of Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol, Honus Wagner, and Rachel Carson—all nationally celebrated local heroes featured on U.S. postage stamps. Unlike a regular first-class commemorative stamp, however, the 63-cent Salk definitive stamp is for two-ounce first-class mail and will stay in circulation indefinitely—that is, until the next postal rate increase. “It is not only a first-class stamp, but, at 63 cents, is first-class plus—a fitting tribute to what is arguably the most important applied biomedical research accomplishment of the last century,” Juhl said at the ceremony. One hundred million of the Salk stamps have been printed.
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Pennsylvania Public Health Association Meeting Included Presentation by IDM Student
Sherrianne Gleason is a PhD Student
During the recent Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Public Health Association several GSPH students presented posters and gave presentations. Sherrianne Gleason, IDM PhD student, gave a presentation entitled "A Teaching Module on Bioterrorism for High School Students."
Earlier last month Sherrianne presented a poster on the same topic at the Public Health Practice Symposium.
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Dr. Charles Rinaldo Receives $3.3 Million Subcontract
The subcontract is from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases
The University of Oklahoma will also benefit from this subcontract as it will fund research to identify Coxiella burnetii and two other highly contagious human pathogens: influenza A virus and West Nile virus. Articles regarding this news event can be viewed on the University of Pittsburgh Times Web site.
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Dr. Charles Rinaldo Received Service Award
Dr. Rinaldo is the Chairman of the Department
The Shepherd Wellness Community honored Dr. Rinaldo's commitment to service by presenting him with the Distinguished Service Award on January 25.
This presentation took place in conjunction with the January 25 performance of Hearts are Wild at the City Theater. This is the annual benefit performance for the Shepherd Wellness Community.
A biosketch of Dr. Rinaldo is available on the IDM Faculty Web page. |
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Dr. Beatty Presented Outline of Emergent Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) and Public Health Course
Dr. Beatty is an Assistant Professor in IDM
Rodger L. Beatty, PhD LSW recently presented an outline of his emergent Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD) and Public Health course to the Institute for Research, Education and Training on Addictions (IRETA) Steering Committee for review and comment. IRETA, located in Pittsburgh, is the contractor for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) Northeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC). He received valuable input and suggestions from members around the state. This will propel the course for approval in the Fall 2006 term. In addition, Dr. Beatty has been working with the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) multi-year award for implementing HIV prevention interventions in the Pittsburgh community. The Diffusion of Effective Interventions (DEBI) program diffuses science-based HIV prevention interventions in various subpopulations. Dr. Beatty is assisting in the development of process and outcome evaluations for Popular Opinion Leader (POL), Sisters Informing Sisters About Topics on AIDS (SISTA), and Rapid HIV Testing in Non-Clinical Settings. PATF in collaboration with Persad Center, Inc. and the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion at the Oakland Veteran’s Hospital have developed the Partnership for Intervention and Empowerment (PIE) Project. Dr. Beatty was part of the SAMHSA multi-year grant award to PATF and will be conducting community needs assessments in three high-risk communities of Pittsburgh to promote strategies that will reduce the risk and harm of substance abuse and HIV and hepatitis infections.
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Four Predoctoral Students Awarded Fellowship from the Pitt AIDS Research Training (PART) Program in the Department of IDM
Congratulations to
Dr. Phalguni Gupt
a and this Year's Traniees
Phalguni Gupta, PhD receives a 1.1 million dollar training grant from the NIH. This five year grant will train four predoctoral researchers each year in the study of HIV/AIDS and is based on concepts of interdisciplinary courses and collaborative basic researchers that are important for the control of HIV infection in humans.
1 year funding Shauna Clark Mentor: John Mellors, M.D. Research: "Genetic, Virological, Biochemical, and Structural Mechanisms of HIV-1 Hypersusceptiblity to Non-nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors: Involvement of RT Mutations 118I, 208Y, and 215Y" Ruth Helmus Mentor: Phalguni Gupta, Ph.D. Research: "Development of a Clostridia perfringen Based Novel Mucosal Vaccine Vector" 2 year funding Kevin Brown Mentor: Simon Barratt-Boyes, DVM, Ph.D. Research: "Role of Dendritic Cells in the Immunopathology of SIV Infection" Jerrod Poe Mentor: Thomas Smithgall, Ph.D. Research: "Oligomerization and HIV-1 Nef Function"
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Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes Develops Vaccine for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Based on Rare Serotype of Adenovirus
Dr. Barratt-Boyes is an Associate Professor in IDM
GSPH released the following article on Dr. Barratt-Boyes' recent accomplishment. Vaccines using recombinant forms of the common adenovirus produce strong immune responses to pathogens and are being developed for prevention of infection with Ebola virus, influenza virus, SARS-associated coronavirus, and human immunodeficiency virus. A long-standing problem in the field has been pre-existing immunity to adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5), on which adenovirus-based vaccines are traditionally based, as this greatly reduces the effectiveness of vaccination. To counter this problem, Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes, associate professor in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, and his collaborators at GSPH and the School of Medicine have developed and tested a vaccine against the simian counterpart of human immunodeficiency virus in monkeys based on an uncommon adenovirus serotype, Ad35. They have shown that Ad35-based vaccines induce robust T cell immunity to simian immunodeficiency virus and can boost immunity generated in response to Ad5-based vaccines. This is the first report of the efficacy of Ad35-based vaccines in the nonhuman primate and supports the further development of this and other rare adenovirus serotypes in vaccines against pressing human diseases. Their work is scheduled to be published in the Journal of General Virology. Barratt-Boyes, S.M., Soloff, A.C., Gao, W., Nwanegbo, E., Liu, X., Rajakumar, P.A., Brown, K.N., Robbins, P.D., Murphey-Corb, M., Day, R.D. & Gambotto, A. Broad cellular immunity with robust memory responses to simian immunodeficiency virus following serial vaccination with adenovirus 5- and 35-based vectors. J. Gen. Virol.( in press).
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Professor Emeritus Dr. Monto Ho Releases Book Providing Reflections on his Scientific Accomplishments
Dr. Ho is a Former Chair of the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
GSPH released the following article on Dr. Ho's book. Several Worlds: Reminiscences and Reflections was released on September 30, 2005. Written by Dr. Monto Ho, professor emeritus and former chair of infectious diseases and microbiology at GSPH, the book presents Dr. Ho's accomplishments in interferon research, elucidation of latent virus infections after organ transplantation, and control of antibiotic resistance in Taiwan. This is done against the background of his eventful life. The son of a Chinese diplomat, Ho received his early education in cities around the world—Ankara, Berlin, Vienna, and Brooklyn. By the time he was 10, he spoke four languages. During this time, his father schooled him in Chinese, and impressed upon him the importance of Chinese culture. In Several Worlds, Ho takes his readers through his eventful childhood, his immersion in Chinese culture during World War II, and his intellectual development as a philosophy and government undergraduate and then medical student at Harvard. In the chapters spanning his time with GSPH, Ho provides the context and development of his pioneering work in interferon research and viral infections in transplant patients. He goes on to tell the story of how, after his retirement from GSPH, he was able to help address the critical public health problem of antibiotic resistance in Taiwan. Readers also will find fascinating the chapters, "Academic Medicine," and "The Ups and Downs of a Department," where he offers a behind-the-scenes perspective as well as looks at the role of basic disciplinary sciences in schools of public health. Much of Ho's writing is reflective. He explores the theme of himself as a life-long learner and problem-solver as he looks at his development as a researcher. Ho's insights into both the Chinese and American cultures are thoughtful. What Ho has accomplished in this book, which mirrors his personal charm and intelligence, is an autobiography of both a philosophical and scientific mind. The book was published by World Scientific. Information on ordering is available online.
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Dr. John Armstrong, Professor Emeritus, Praises Dr. Monto Ho's Book
Dr. Armstrong is an Emeritus Professor in IDM
"I have just read Monto Ho's Reminiscences and Reflections for the third time and enjoyed it again ... Monto Ho is an introspective person and his reflections are just as interesting as his reminiscences ... Read his book. Enjoy it and think about it."
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Dr. Ronald Montelaro Recognized as Pitt Innovator
Dr. Montelaro is a Professor in Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry and holds a secondary appointment in IDM
The Pitt Chronicle article can be accessed via this link.
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Fifth Major Award Granted to IDM Professor
Congratulations to
Dr. Phalguni Gupta
GSPH released the following article on Dr. Gupta's accomplishment.
Most recently, Dr. Gupta received a five-year, $1.37 million training grant from the NIH to train predoctoral students in interdisciplinary HIV research. The Pitt AIDS Research Training (PART) will include faculty and students from both GSPH and the School of Medicine who are working in the field of HIV research. Together with Dr. Lee Harrison, Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, Dr. Gupta received a five-year, $2.5 million grant from NIH’s Fogarty International Center to train investigators from India and Brazil in HIV. The investigation includes basic and prevention research in controlling HIV infection in those countries. Dr. Gupta will be in charge of the India component of the grant, while Dr. Harrison will be responsible for the Brazil component of the grant. In addition, Dr. Gupta received a four-year, $4 million NIH program project grant to develop microbicides against HIV. The microbicides to be tested are cyanovirin secreting lactobacilli and retrocyclins. They will be evaluated in cervical tissue derived organ culture and in monkeys. Lastly, Dr. Gupta has also received two NIH R21 grants, each two-year, $300,000 grants, to study HIV in semen from India, and to study mucosal immunity against HIV induced by oral immunization of Clostridia perfringens expressing HIV antigens. Congratulations to this outstanding and productive scientist.
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8th Annual IDM Research Day - September 22, 2005
Congratulations to this Year's Poster Winners
1st Prize Jing Jin - "Visualization of Protein-Protein Interaction During Retrovirus Assembly and Budding by Biomolecular Fluorescence Complementation"
2nd Prize Monica Tomaszewski-Flick - "Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 2B (LMP2B) is a Spatial Re-Organizer of Proteins Involved in B-Cell Receptor Signaling"
3rd Prize-Tie Nada Melhem - "Towards a Therapeutic SIV Vaccine Using Dendritic Cells Loaded with Autologous Viral mRNA"Gordon Awandare - "Decreased Circulating Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) is Associated with Severe Malarial Anemia and Hyperparasitemia: Role of Genetic Variation in the MIF Promoter"
Kevin Brown - "Disproportionate Loss of Lymph Node Myeloid Dendritic Cells in AIDS Associated with Impaired Langerhans Cell Migration"
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University of Pittsburgh Receives $19 Million for HIV/AIDS Training of Region's Health Care Work Force
Congratulations to Dr. Linda Frank and the Pennsylvania/MidAtlantic AIDS Education Training Center
The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) press release can be accessed via the UPMC News Bureau site.
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IDM Announces Public Health Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations to
Matthew Finnemeyer
& Lance Presser
First year master’s level students
Matthew Finnemeyer
and Lance Presser were recently awarded the IDM Public Health Scholarship. This $1,000 award was based on undergraduate grades, Graduate Record Examination scores, personal statement, and letters of recommendation.
The IDM Public Health Scholarship was instituted last year to recognize academic excellence among incoming MPH and MS students. This is the second year that the scholarship has been awarded to IDM master level students.
 |
Matthew Finnemeyer
graduated in 2005 from
Allegheny
College
with a BS in biology. Originally from
Hatfield
,
Pennsylvania
. In his spare time he enjoys reading science fiction and fantasy novels, computer and role-playing games. Joining the Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology at the
University
of
Pittsburgh
this fall, Matthew is a Master of Science degree student. He plans on staying at Pitt to obtain a doctorate degree.
|
 |
A graduate of
North Dakota
State
University
, Lance Presser is originally from
Turtle Lake
,
North Dakota
. While at NDSU he earned at BS in Microbiology and Biotechnology.
Reading
, sports, and the outdoors are areas of interest for Lance. Prior to joining the MS program at IDM, he was previously employed at Aldevron, a biotech company. |
Support for this scholarship is provided by the Bob Yee Fund in the department. Donations to this fund can be made by personal check to the
University
of
Pittsburgh
, subscript “The Bob Yee Fund”, and sent to:
University
of
Pittsburgh
, Graduate School of Public Health, Ms.
Robin Tierno
, Senior Administrator, A419B Crabtree Hall,
130 DeSoto Street
,
Pittsburgh
,
PA
15261
. Contact Ms.
Robin Tierno
with questions at: 412-624-3105 or e-mail rtierno@pitt.edu.
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Dr. Tianyi Wang Joins IDM Faculty
Welcome to Dr. Wang, Assistant Professor
The Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology is very pleased to announce the addition of Tianyi Wang, PhD, to its faculty. A citizen of the People’s Republic of
China
, Dr. Wang holds a BA in Medicine from
Beijing
Medical
University
and a D. Phil. in microbiology from the
Ohio
State
University
. His thesis was entitled “Transcriptional Regulation of Toll Like Receptor 2 Expression upon Mycobacterial Infection.”Upon completing his D. Phil. work in 2001, Dr. Wang accepted a position as a postdoctoral fellow at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute of University of
California
,
Los Angeles
. In 2003, Dr. Wang joined the Los Alamos National Laboratory at
New Mexico
. His research continued in microbiology and immunology, with emphasis on host defense to bacterial infection.As a postdoctoral research fellow at HHMI/UCLA, Dr. Wang developed a biochemical method to purify protein complexes from mammalian cells to homogeneity. At Los Alamos National Laboratory, he further combined this method with quantitative mass spectrometry to identify critical components of signaling complexes formed in macrophages when an infection occurs.In IDM, Dr. Wang’s work will continue to combine molecular biology and quantitative proteomics in the study of host defense mechanisms. His work will dissect the distinct pathways in immune cells in response to different pathogens. The main focus of this work is to understand how the host defense network is regulated in response to infectious agents and to provide therapeutic targets for drug intervention.
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Pitt is 7th in NIH Funds
GSPH Maintains 3rd Place Ranking
The University Times article from July 7, 2005 can be accessed at the following link.
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IDM Secondary Appointment Faculty Promoted
Congratulations to Lee Harrison and Robert Wadowsky
Lee Harrison, MD and Robert Wadowsky, ScD have been promoted to Professor status. Drs. Harrison and Wadowsky remain active in the Department by serving as advisors, lab supervisors, and on dissertation and exam committees.
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IDM Student Awarded First Place in UPCI Poster Contest
Congratulations to Sherrianne Gleason
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute held its 17th Annual UPCI Scientific Retreat on June 9-10, 2005. IDM PhD student Sherrianne Gleason participated in the poster contest and was awarded first place for her poster entitled "Visualizing dendritic cell uptake of membrane-associated tumor antigen from live cells." Following the announcement of the winners in the Annual UPCI Director's Awards, Sherrianne presented her research to those in attendance, as these presentations kicked-off the activities of final day of the retreat.
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IDM Chairman & Professors Participated in HIV/AIDS Workshop
HIV/AIDS East of the Urals A Global Academic Partnership Workshop held June 13-14, 2005
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Prepublication Announcement
The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner's Guide to Service
Michael Shankle a Research Specialist at the Pennsylvania Prevention Project has edited The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner's Guide to Service. Haworth Press Inc., the publisher, states that "the Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health is a one-of-a-kind resource for LGBT public health issues, essential for public health professionals, practitioners, health services professionals, substance abuse counselors, disease intervention specialists, public health advisors, community health service administrators, community based agencies, and community health nurses. Educators in community health interventions and assessments will find this a perfect guide for students."
The book will be available in December of 2005. Information on ordering is available in PDF format at this link.
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IDM Alumni & Students Honored at GSPH Convocation
Congratulations to Craig L. Fuller, Melissa Miles, Anna Noller, and Adam Soloff
IDM alumnus Craig L. Fuller ('04) was inducted into the Delta Omega Honor Society at the GSPH Convocation held in April. He also received an Outstanding Student Award. Craig completed his MS and PhD degrees in the Department and is currently an Assistant Professor at Eastern Michigan University's program of Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
Melissa Miles, '04 MS, and Anna Noller, '04 PhD, were presented with awards for outstanding thesis and dissertations. Melissa is currently an instructor at West Point Military Academy. Anna was chosen to participate in the Association of Schools of Public Health/Centers for Disease Control Fellowship Program through the Office of Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
Adam Soloff, a PhD student working in Dr. Simon Barratt-Boyes' laboratory, was presented with the Delta Omega Omicron Chapter Poster Prize.
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IDM Establishes New Scholarship and Announces First Year Recipients
Congratulations to Diane Downie & Roseanna Guzman
First year master’s level students Diane Downie and Roseanna Guzman were recently awarded the IDM Public Health Scholarship. This $1,000 award was based on undergraduate grades, Graduate Record Examination scores, personal statement, and letters of recommendation.
The IDM Public Health Scholarship was instituted to recognize academic excellence among incoming MPH and MS students. This first year, the awards were given to first year MS and MPH students, and in future years will be awarded to MS and MPH students immediately upon matriculation.
 |
Diane Downie is originally from Minnesota, where she attended St. Olaf College and graduated with honors in biology as part of the Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society. During college she enjoyed playing in numerous musical organizations, including clarinet in the Norsemen Band, the Valhalla Band, and the Clarinet Choir, and singing soprano in the Manitou Singers and the College Chorale. |
She also took part in numerous study abroad opportunities, including time in South Africa, Egypt, India, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Switzerland, Nepal, and South Korea. After college, Diane was a lab technician/research assistant at Duke University Medical Center where she worked in pharmacology and cancer biology and helped co-author two peer-reviewed manuscripts appearing in Cancer Research and Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Diane joined the Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh in August 2004, where she is pursuing a Master of Public Health degree and a certificate in the Public Health Preparedness and Disaster Response Program. Diane plans to pursue a career in public health law and policy after graduation in 2006.
|
 |
Roseanna attended the University of California, Los Angeles where she earned a Bachelor of Science in psychobiology and a minor in chicana/o studies. During her undergraduate career, she was actively involved in Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine (CCM), the Black/Latino AIDS Project (BLAIDS), and the Latino Student Health Project. |
Participation in these community service organizations solidified her desire to improve health outcomes in underserved communities. She is currently working towards a Master of Public Health in communicable diseases and behavioral health sciences. Her interests include HIV/AIDS among migrant workers, health disparities, and Latina health.
Roseanna is a southern California native and is the eldest of four children. In her spare time she enjoys traveling, working on cars with her father, reading, and photography.
|
Support for this scholarship is provided by the Bob Yee Fund in the department. Donations to this fund can be made by personal check to the
University
of
Pittsburgh
, subscript “The Bob Yee Fund”, and sent to:
University
of
Pittsburgh
, Graduate School of Public Health, Ms.
Robin Tierno
, Senior Administrator, A419B Crabtree Hall,
130 DeSoto Street
,
Pittsburgh
,
PA
15261
. Contact Ms.
Robin Tierno
with questions at: 412-624-3105 or e-mail rtierno@pitt.edu.
Top of Page | Archived News Headlines
Dr. Horace Martin Gezon, M.D.
former GSPH professor
Obituary provided by Dr. Robert Yee
Horace Martin Gezon, M.D.
November 12, 1914 to March 16, 2005
Dr. Horace Martin Gezon with Drs. William Hammon, Francis Sargent Cheever, and Sidney Cobb, was one of the original faculty of the Department of Epidemiology and Microbiology at the Graduate School of Public Health of the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the newly founded School of Public Health after serving as an epidemiologist at the rank of Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy. His research in Pittsburgh provided an understanding in the resistance to antimicrobial agents by Shigella flexneri and in the epidemiology and effective control and prevention of staphylococcal infection and disease in newborn infants. For the latter study he organized a multidisciplinary team composed of Theodore Hatch, an environmental engineer in the Department of Occupational Health, Donovan Thompson of the Department of Biostatistics, and Paul Taylor, a pediatrician at the School of Medicine and Magee-Womens Hospital. Two of his students Russell Rycheck (DrPH) and Robert Yee (PhD), are on the faculty at the GSPH. In sprite of a heavy research and teaching load, he still was able to provide major public service. This service included an investigation with GSPH students of a widespread milkborne outbreak of salmonellosis in Lancaster County, PA; directorship of the laboratories of the Pittsburgh Health Department, and serving as a principal member on a team that showed shigellosis and not amoebiasis was the major cause of dysentery among the military in Vietnam. While in Pittsburgh, his major avocation was breeding and showing sheep on his farm in Fox Chapel. This place was also the site of the annual departmental picnic. In the 60s he moved to Boston to become Head of Pediatrics at Boston University and its hospital. Upon retirement, he and his wife, Edie, moved to Gorham, Maine. He remained active, affiliating with Atlantic Antibodies to conduct studies on veterinary diseases and vaccines.
He and Edie were a very loving couple. He passed away 3 weeks after her death. Contributions may be made to the First Parish Congregational Church, 1 Church Street, Gorham, Maine 04038. For further information call Meg Metz (Margie Gezon) at (505) 690-4165, 3101 Jemez Road, Santa Fe, NM 87507.
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2005 Dean's Day Winners
Congratulations to IDM PhD Students Adam Soloff & Kevin Brown
Adam Soloff was the first place winner in the Doctoral category & winner of the Rosenkranz Award for the Presentation with the Greatest Public Health Significance. Adam's presentation was entitled "Rapid Response Vaccination Protects Against Lethal Human Outbreak Avian Influenza."
Kevin Brown was the second place winner in the Doctoral category for his poster "Loss of lymph node myeloid dendritic cells in AIDS is associated with impaired Langerhans cell migration from skin."
Top of Page | Archived News Headlines
IDM Showcased in GSPH's Public Health Magazine
Top of Page
 Fall 2006
Development- Dr. and Mrs. Monto Ho Pledge $2 Million to GSPH
Research- B Cells Play Crucial Role in HIV Infection (Research of Drs. Charles Rinaldo and Giovanna Rappocciolo)
Associate Deans' Update- Dr. Phalguni Gupta Appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
 Spring 2006
Research- Researchers Develop Avian Flu Vaccine
Bookshelf- Michael Shankle, IDM Research Specialist, edited The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner's Guide
Student Spotlight- GSPH Experiences Foster Well-Rounded Student
Department News- Infectious Diseases and Microbiology News
 Fall 2005
From the Top Shelf-Dr. Monto Ho's Recent publication, Several Worlds: Reminiscences and Reflections
Student Spotlight-Recent awards won by Diane Downie, Kevin Brown, Roseanna Guzman, and Adam Soloff, all current IDM students
 Spring 2005
Student Spotlight-Recent IDM Alum Anna Noller
Alumni Notebook-IDM Emeritus Professor Dr. John Armstrong & Kirstin St. George highlighted
 Fall 2004
Unlocking an Epidemic Working in Bosnia on AIDS issues highlights the research of Dr. Linda Frank
Pitt Mens Study Hits 20 Year Milestone
 Spring 2004
Four Pronged-Attack: GSPH Researchers Developing Novel Approaches for AIDS Vaccine
highlights the development of an AIDS vaccine by Dr. Charles Rinaldo, Dr. Velpandi Ayyavoo, Dr. Simon Barrett-Boyes, and Dr. Phalguni Gupta
Global Health: IDM Professor Studies Genetics of Malaria in Western Kenya highlights the research of Dr. Douglas Jay Perkins
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Past Events
IDM Research Day 2007
Congratulations to this year's winners
1st Place
Ruth Helmus
“A C-perfringens-Based Oral Vaccine Against SIV Primes a Strong, Multi-Functional CD8+ T Cell Response in the Gastrointestinal Tract”
Mentor: Phalguni Gupta, PhD
2nd Place
Jay Venkatachari
“Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) Infection Abrogates PD-1 Expression in Infected Cells and Protects the Cells from Apoptosis in vitro and in vivo”
Mentor: Velpandi Ayyavoo, PhD
3rd Place
Jing Jin
“Distinct Intracellular Trafficking of EIAV and HIV-1 Gag During Viral Assembly and Regulation of HIV-1 Gag-RAFTS Association by the Mechanism of RNA Nuclear Export”
Mentor: Ron Montelaro, PhD
3rd Place
Adam Soloff
“Immunotherapeutic Adenoviral-Based Vaccination Enhances Cellular Immunity During Antiretroviral Treated Immunodeficiency Virus Infection”
Mentor: Simon Barratt-Boyes, BVSc, PhD
3rd Place
Jessica Brehm
“HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase Mutations A371V and Q509L Decrease DNA-Dependent RNase H Cleavage and Increase the Rate of AZT-MP Excision”
Mentor: John Mellors, MD
We thank this year's poster judges, Mike Cascio & Andrea Gambotto for their hard work, time, and effort that led to the success of the event.
Pictures of this year's event are available in the IDM Photo Album section of this Web page.
Staff Recognition
Held February 16, 2007
IDM staff members Holly Bilben, Ayan Chakrabarti, Debra Dennison, Marcy Holloway, Jeffrey Toth, and Ping Zhang were each recognized for their five years of dedication to IDM, GSPH, and the University.
 |
 |
 |
Holly with her supervisor Dr. David Rowe |
Ayan with his supervisor Dr. Paolo Piazza |
Debra with her supervisor
Dr. Anthony Silvestre |
 |
 |
 |
Marcy with her supervisor
Dr. Anthony Silvestre |
Jeffrey with his supervisor
Dr. Anthony Silvestre |
Ping with her supervisor
Dr. Charles Rinaldo |
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|
 |
| Rowe Lab and members of the Bilben family |
|
IDM staff Carol Perfetti, Jeffrey Toth, and Debra Dennison |
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Decades of Discovery: A Symposium Honoring the Work of Monto Ho, MD
Held October 26, 2006
 |
Please visit the event Web site at for further information on this previously held event.
Information available includes: biography of Dr. Monto Ho, profiles of the seven speakers which included Dr. Thomas Starzl, Dr. Donald Burke, Dr. Charles Rinaldo, and Dr. John Mellors, news articles about the event, and photographs from the event.
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Top of Page | Archived News Headlines
Dr. Ho Several Worlds Book Event
Held 6/14/06 at the University of Pittsburgh Book Center
Dr. Monto Ho spoke about his book Several Worlds at a June 14 event held at the University of Pittsburgh Book Center.
| Photos From Dr. Ho's Book Event |
 |
 |
| Dr. Rodger Beatty, IDM Assistant Professor and Dr. Monto Ho |
Dr. Ho signs a copy of his book |
| |
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| Speaking to the audience about Several Worlds |
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XVI International AIDS 2006 Conference Update
Held 9/11/06 at the Holiday Inn Select University Center
The event was sponsored by the Pennsylvania Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education and Training Center provided an update from the International AIDS Conference held in Toronto.
| Photos From XVI International AIDS 2006 Conference Update |
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| PA/MA AETC staff assisting with registration for the event |
Resources available from the PA/MA AETC |
IDM trainees and students
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Introduction to programs and services offered by the PA/MA AETC
Margaret Salud, MPH
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Presention by:
Dr. Linda Frank, PhD
Principal Investigator and Primary Director of the PA/MA AETC |
Presention by:
Dr. Charles Rinaldo, PhD
Chair, Department of IDM
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Last Updated: June 2, 2009
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