People in the news - April 2018

Infectious diseases expert Redfield leading CDC

Dr. Robert Redfield, an infectious diseases researcher who contributed to the early understanding of HIV/AIDS, is the new CDC director. After retiring from the U.S. Army Medical Corps, Redfield co-founded the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland. He previously served as a Fogarty advisory board member.

Olsen appointed Peace Corps director

Dr. Josephine (Jody) Olsen has assumed leadership of the Peace Corps. A former volunteer, she has held numerous positions with the agency, including deputy and acting director. Olsen most recently was with the University of Maryland, Baltimore, as a visiting professor and faculty advisor for the Center for Global Education Initiatives.

Photo courtesy of the Peace Corps

Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves has new CEO

The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, a public-private partnership hosted by the UN Foundation, appointed Dymphna van der Lans as its new chief executive officer. Most recently with the World Wildlife Fund, she has more than 25 years of experience managing and leading global development, energy and climate initiatives.

Farrar to continue as Wellcome Trust director

Dr. Jeremy Farrar, who became director of the Wellcome Trust global research charity in 2013, has been appointed to a second five-year term that will start October 2018. A clinical scientist with research interests in infectious diseases and tropical health, Farrar previously directed the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam.

Photo courtesy Wellcome Trust

CUGH recognizes Merson’s global health leadership

The Consortium of Universities for Global Health honored Dr. Michael Merson with its 2018 Distinguished Leadership Award for his commitment to improving the health of populations worldwide. Merson, a former Fogarty grantee and advisory board member, was founding director of the Global Health Institute at Duke University.

Adebamowo recognized by clinical oncology society

Fogarty grantee Dr. Clement Adebamowo has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and will be recognized at its annual meeting in June. A professor with the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Adebamowo is a cancer epidemiologist, whose projects include a research ethics training program in Nigeria.

Longtime Fogarty grantee Mason dies

Dr. Peter Mason, a Fogarty grantee who developed a significant research training program in Zimbabwe, has died. In 1995, he co-founded the Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI), an independent institution that he led for more than 20 years, which supported HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis research training.