Dr. Kilmarx, FIC Acting Director, presiding, the FIC Advisory Board met virtually via videoconference on April 30, 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EDT for closed session, and 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the open session.
Present
- Dr. Peter Kilmarx, Chair, Acting Director, Fogarty International Center
- Dr. Clement Adebamowo, Director, Cancer Epidemiology Division, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine
- Dr. Chris Beyrer, Director, Duke Global Health Institute, Gary Hock Distinguished Professor in Global Health, Professor of Medicine, Research Professor of Global Health, Duke University
- Dr. Otis Brawley, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Oncology and Epidemiology Johns Hopkins University
- Dr. Benjamin Chi, Vice Chair for Research and Innovation, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Distinguished Professor, Global Women's Health, Interim Director, Center for Women's Health Research, Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina
- Dr. Wondwossen Gebreyes, Hazel C. Youngberg Distinguished Professor, Molecular Epidemiology, Executive Director, Global One Health Initiative, the Ohio State University
- Dr. Jennifer Kates, Senior Vice President, Director of Global Health & HIV Policy, KFF
- Dr. Maureen Lichtveld, Dean of the Graduate School of Public Health, Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health, Jonas Salk Chair in Population Health, University of Pittsburgh
- Dr. Robert Murphy, Executive Director, Institute for Global Health, John Philip Phair Professor of Infectious Diseases, Northwestern University
Acting Director’s Update and Discussion of Current FIC Activities
Acting Director Peter H. Kilmarx, MD, MPH, provided an update on recent activities, leadership developments, NIH policy reminders, and upcoming events.
The meeting opened with a tribute to Dr. King Holmes, a former Advisory Board member (2013–2019) and internationally recognized leader in STI research. Dr. Holmes was remembered for establishing the University of Washington Center for AIDS and STDs, the UW Center for AIDS Research, and for co-leading the UW International Training and Education Center on Health. His scientific leadership, mentorship, and lasting contributions to global health were honored.
Dr. Kilmarx highlighted a series of congressional engagements, international convenings, and university visits over the past year. These included meetings with Senator Jack Reed and Congresswoman Deborah Ross, participation in the UNGA Science Summit, and visits to the University of Notre Dame, Brown University, UNC, Duke, NCGHA, NIEHS, and Yale University. Engagements with global partners and trainees underscored Fogarty’s ongoing commitment to research partnerships and global capacity strengthening. Participation in major meetings such as the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting and the DS-I Africa Consortium meeting further reinforced Fogarty’s leadership role in global health collaboration. The Acting Director emphasized that U.S. universities will continue to serve as essential hubs of scientific inquiry and global engagement, with Fogarty supporting evolving models of international research partnership.
The update also acknowledged NIH leadership developments, including Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, as the 18th NIH Director, with priorities that include a focus on noncommunicable diseases, advancing novel biomedical discoveries, and ensuring NIH-supported research is transparent, unbiased, and reproducible. The Board was also informed of a March 4, 2025, visit by former Peace Corps Director Jody Olsen, who discussed leadership lessons from her memoir, A Million Miles. Additionally, Christian Happi’s recognition as one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025 was highlighted, noting his leadership in genomics, infectious disease response, and capacity building across Africa through ACEGID.
Communications updates included the 2025 redesign of Global Health Matters and continued efforts to showcase Fogarty’s impact through facts, metrics, and stories, with particular attention to bioethics, noncommunicable diseases, technology and innovation, and childhood obesity. The Acting Director also reminded members of the requirement for a “Foreign Justification” statement in grant applications involving foreign institutions or foreign components, as outlined in NOT-OD-25-098; applications lacking this attachment may be withdrawn prior to review.
Dr. Kilmarx concluded with a review of upcoming dates, including FIC Advisory Board meetings scheduled for June 2–3, 2025 (in person), and September 4–5, 2025 (in person). Overall, the update reflected continued engagement, strengthened partnerships, policy compliance emphasis, and sustained commitment to Fogarty’s global health mission.
Influenza Transmission and Vaccine Modeling (PHIRST study)
Dr. Kaiyuan Sun, Scientist, Division of International Epidemiology and Population Studies (DIEPS)
Dr. Kaiyuan Sun gave a presentation on “Influenza Viral Shedding, Immunity, and Transmission: Evidence from the PHIRST Cohorts in South Africa” describing findings from a three-season household cohort study conducted in rural and urban South African sites, enrolling 1,684 individuals from 327 randomly selected households. Participants were monitored with twice-weekly nasopharyngeal swabs during influenza seasons and annual serologic testing to measure pre- and post-season immunity. The study examined viral shedding patterns across influenza A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2), B/Victoria, and B/Yamagata lineages and assessed how pre-season hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) antibody titers, age, HIV status, and other factors influenced shedding duration, viral load, transmission risk, and infection acquisition. Results showed that greater viral shedding intensity (lower Ct values) was strongly associated with higher household transmission risk across all subtypes. Higher pre-season HAI titers (>1:40) were linked to reduced infection risk for most subtypes except B/Yamagata. Children experienced higher susceptibility, longer shedding duration, and higher peak viral loads than adults—even after adjusting for HAI titers—suggesting that immune protection accumulates with repeated exposures beyond what is captured by HAI-measured immunity alone.
Adjourn, Dr. Peter Kilmarx
Dr. Kilmarx thanked all the panelists, and adjourned the meeting at 3:00 p.m.