US, Foreign Medical Students and Post-Doctorates Awarded Research Training Posts in Global Health

Nashville, TN, July 25, 2008

The Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars Support Center announces the awardees of the 2008 International Clinical Research Scholars and Fellows Program.

Nearly 100 top graduate students and post-doctoral trainees from the United States and 18 nations have been selected to train in global health research in low- and middle-income countries, the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars Support Center, announced today.

The program, supported by the Fogarty International Center and 12 other components of the National Institutes of Health, is administered by Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Global Health and the Association of American Medical Colleges. A total of 96 Scholars and Fellows were selected and underwent orientation and training at the National Institutes of Health before departing to 25 sites in 18 countries.

Under the program U.S. graduate students – mostly third-year medical, dental or veterinary students – are paired with foreign counterparts, and they conduct clinical research together abroad under the tutelage of NIH-funded universities or other research institutions working on infectious or chronic diseases. Similarly, post-doctoral trainees are paired but they are expected to develop their own research projects.

Among the fields of study are: AIDS and related opportunistic infections; malaria; sexually transmitted infections; substance abuse, oncology; diseases of the heart, lung, and blood; neurology; and dietary issues. “These opportunities provide new insights for tomorrow's clinical leaders, both in the United States and in low- and middle-income nations,” said Sten Vermund, MD, PhD, who serves as the Principal Investigator of the FICRS Support Center.

The Fogarty International Center, the international component of the NIH, addresses global health challenges through innovative and collaborative research and training programs and supports and advances the NIH mission through international partnerships.

2008-2009 United States and foreign partner International Clinical Research Scholars:

Nancy Liu, PhD candidate, University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Arts and Sciences, and Agustina Mazzoni, MD, MSc. They will work in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS), Department of Mother & Child Health Research under the mentorship of José M. Belizán, MD, PhD, and Fernando Althabe, both of ICES.

Sarah Iribarren, PhD candidate, University of Utah College of Nursing, and Juan Calcagno, MD, MSc candidate, University of Buenos Aires. They will work in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS), Department of Mother & Child Health Research under the mentorship of José M. Belizán, MD, PhD, and Fernando Althabe, both of ICES.

Emily Kendall, MD candidate, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Fahima Chowdhury, MBBS, MPH. They will work in Dhaka, Bangladesh, at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research in Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) under the mentorship of Stephen Calderwood, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and Firdausi Qadri, PhD, ICDDR,B.

Ana Weil, MPH, MD candidate, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Azim Hossain, MSc. They will work in Dhaka, Bangladesh, at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research in Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) under the mentorship of Stephen Calderwood, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and Firdausi Qadri, PhD, ICDDR,B.

Rebecca Mitchell, DVM/PhD candidate, Cornell University and Cornell School of Veterinary Medicine, and Thato Iketleng, BSc. They will work in Gaborone, Botswana, at the Botswana Harvard Partnership (BHP) under the mentorship of Myron Essex, DVM, PhD, Harvard School of Public Health, and Dr. Joseph Makhema,BHP.

Sumeet Mitter, MD candidate, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and Alexandre Havt Bindá, PhD, MS. They will work in Fortaleza, Brazil, at Federal University of Ceará (UFC) under the mentorship of Richard Guerrant, MD,University of Virginia School of Medicine Center for Global Health, and Aldo Lima, MD, PhD,UFC.

Lara Jirmanus, MD candidate, University of Massachusetts Medical School, and Maria Elisa Rosa, MD. They will work in Salvador, Brazil, at Federal University of Bahia (UFBa) under the mentorship of Warren D. Johnson, Jr., MD, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Edgar M. Carvalho, MD, PhD,UFBa.

Barbara Szonyi, DVM, PhD candidate, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, and Guilherme Ribeiro, MD, MS, PhD candidate, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazilian Ministry of Health. They will work in Salvador, Brazil, at Federal University of Bahia (UFBa) under the mentorship of Warren D. Johnson, Jr., MD, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Albert Ko, MD,UFBa.

Rachel Pearline, MD/MPH candidate, Tulane University School of Medicine/School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, and Yuan Liufeng, PhD candidate, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC). They will work in Nanjing, China, at the National Center for STD & Leprosy Control, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences under the mentorship of Myron Cohen, MD, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and Xiang Sheng Chen, MD, PhD.

Jia Ji, PhD candidate, Ohio State University College of Pharmacy. She will work in Beijing, China, at the Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CICAMS) under the mentorship of Myron Cohen, MD, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, and Professor Youlin Qiao.

Patrice Espinosa, DDS candidate, University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry and Stephane Morrisseau, DDS, MPH . They will work in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at The Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO) under the mentorship of Warren D. Johnson, Jr., MD, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Daniel Fitzgerald, MD, Cornell University, and Dr. Jean Pape, GHESKIO.

Karl Bezak, MD candidate, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Jude Emmanuel Cleophat, MD. They will work in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, at The Haitian Group for the Study of Kaposi's Sarcoma and Opportunistic Infections (GHESKIO) under the mentorship of Warren D. Johnson, Jr., MD, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Daniel Fitzgerald, MD, Cornell University, and Dr. Jean Pape, GHESKIO.

Rajitha Devadoss, MD candidate, SUNY Upstate Medical University, and Amrose Pradeep, MBBS. They will work in Chennai, India, at the YR Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education (YRG CARE) under the mentorship of Kenneth Mayer, MD, Brown University, and Dr. Suniti Solomon, Director, YRG CARE.

Matthew Griffith, MD candidate, SUNY Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and Deepthi Kattula, DDS, MSc candidate,Christian Medical College (CMC). They will work in Vellore, India, at CMC under the mentorship of Christine Wanke, MD, Tufts University, and Dr. Gagandeep Kang, CMC.

Adam Aluisio, MD candidate, SUNY Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and Anne Gatuguta, MBChB, MPH candidate, University of Nairobi. They will work in Nairobi, Kenya, at University of Nairobi under the mentorship of King Holmes, MD, PhD and Carey Farquhar, MD, MPH, of University of Washington Harborview Medical Center International AIDS Research and Training Program, and Dr. James Kiarie, University of Nairobi AIDS Research and Training Program.

Barclay Stewart, MD candidate, Medical University of South Carolina, and Frankline Onchiri, MSc. They will work in Nairobi, Kenya, at University of Nairobi under the mentorship of King Holmes, MD, PhD and Carey Farquhar, MD, MPH, both of University of Washington Harborview Medical Center International AIDS Research and Training Program, and Dr. James Kiarie, University of Nairobi AIDS Research and Training Program.

Jessica Manning, MD/MPH candidate, Emory University School of Medicine, and Aïssata Ongoïba, MD, MSc, Master’s candidate, Bamako University. They will work in Bamako, Mali at University of Bamako, Malaria Research and Training Center under the mentorship of Christopher Plowe, MD, MPH,University of Maryland School of Medicine, Center for Vaccine Development, and Ogobara Duombo, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Epidemiology of Parasitic Diseases, and Director, Malaria Research and Training Center.

Jeffrey Tornheim, MD/MPH candidate, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and Daniel Lozano Beltrán, MD. They will work in Lima, Peru, at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) and Cochabamba, Bolivia, under the mentorship of Robert Gilman, MD, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Faustino Torrico, MD.

Marjory Bravard, MD/MPH candidate, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Yagahira Castro Sesquén, MD. They will work in Lima, Peru, at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) under the mentorship of Robert Gilman, MD, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Carlton Evans, MD, PhD, and Patricia Sheen, PhD, both of UPCH.

Adam Bennett, MA, PhD candidate, Tulane University School of Public Health, and Tropical Medicine and Yanina Arana Policarpo, MSc. They will work in Lima, Peru, at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) under the mentorship of Robert Gilman, MD, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and Mirko Zimic, PhD, Holger Mayta, PhD, and Hector Garcia, PhD, all of UPCH.

Colin Robinson, MD/MPH candidate, Tufts University School of Medicine and Cesar Bocangel Fernandez, MD. They will work in Lima, Peru, at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) under the mentorship of Robert Gilman, MD, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Caryn Bern, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Michael Levy, PhD.

Catherine Hooper, MD candidate, Tufts University School of Medicine and Maritza Calderón Sánchez, PhD, MSc. They will work in Lima, Peru, at the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) under the mentorship of Robert Gilman, MD, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Dr. Vitaliano Cama,Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Josephine Czechowicz, MD candidate, Stanford University School of Medicine and Mary Reyes Vega. They will work in Lima, Peru, at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM) under the mentorship of King Holmes, MD, PhD, and Joseph Zunt, MD, MPH, both of University of Washington Harborview Medical Center International AIDS Research and Training Program, and Jorge Alarcón, MD, MPH,UNMSM.

Maria Victoria Vargas, MD candidate, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Carlos Abanto Argomedo, MD. They will work in Lima, Peru, at Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) under the mentorship of King Holmes, MD, PhD, and Joseph Zunt, MD, MPH, both of University of Washington Harborview Medical Center International AIDS Research and Training Program, and César Cárcamo, MD, PhD, UPCH.

Roswell Quinn, MD/PhD candidate,University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Yesenia Nuñez Coronado. They will work in Lima, Peru, at Investigaciones Médicas en Salud (INMENSA) under the mentorship of King Holmes, MD, PhD and Joseph Zunt, MD, MPH, both of University of Washington Harborview Medical Center International AIDS Research and Training Program, and Jorge Sánchez, MD, MPH,INMENSA.

César Nureña, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. He will work in Lima, Peru at Investigaciones Medicas en Salud (INMENSA) under the mentorship of King Holmes, MD, PhD, and Joseph Zunt, MD, MPH, of University of Washington Harborview Medical Center International AIDS Research and Training Program, and Jorge Sánchez, MD, MPH,INMENSA.

Melanie Lo, MHS, MD candidate, University of Minnesota Medical School and Tumaini Nagu, MMed, MPH. They will work in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, at Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences under the mentorship of Wafaie Fawzi, MD, DrPH, Harvard School of Public Health and Professor Ferdinand Mugusi, Muhimbili University.

Cosby Stone, MD/MPH candidate, University of Alabama School of Medicine and School of Public Health and George Mgomella Suleman, MD, MPH. They will work in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. at Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences under the mentorship of Wafaie Fawzi, MD, DrPH,Harvard School of Public Health, and Professor Ferdinand Mugusi,Muhimbili University.

Brock Daniels, MPH, MD candidate, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Taweewat Supindham, MD. They will work in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at Chiang Mai University Research Institute for Health Sciences (RIHES) under the mentorship of Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH,Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Voravit Suwanvanichkij, MD, MPH, Research Associate, Chiang Mai University.

Noriyuki Murakami, MPH, MD candidate, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine and Nitta Khienprasit, MD. They will work in Chiang Mai, Thailand, at Chiang Mai University Research Institute for Health Sciences (RIHES) under the mentorship of Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH,Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Voravit Suwanvanichkij, MD, MPH, Research Associate, Chiang Mai University.

Justin List, MA, MD candidate, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and Moses Damani Ali, MBChB, Master’s candidate, Makerere University. They will work in Kampala, Uganda, at Makerere University under the mentorship of Christopher Whalen, MD, MS, University of Georgia, and Dr. Moses Kamya, Makerere University.

Jenifer Compton, MS, MD candidate, Oregon Health and Science University and Sally Trollip, MBChB, MMed candidate. They will work in Lusaka, Zambia at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) under the mentorship of Benjamin Chi, MD,University of Alabama at Birmingham; and Drs. Jeffrey Stringer, Namwinga Chintu, Stewart Reid and Nzali Kancheya all of CIDRZ.

Kristin King, MPH, PhD candidate, University of Michigan School of Public Health and Samson Chisele, MBChB, MMed candidate, University of Zambia. They will work in Lusaka, Zambia, at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) under the mentorship of Benjamin Chi, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Drs. Groesbeck Parham and Mulindi Mwanahamuntu, both of CIDRZ.

Jennifer Hallock, MD candidate,Columbia University College of Physicians, and Surgeons and David Linyama, MBChB. They will work in Lusaka, Zambia, at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) under the mentorship of Benjamin Chi, MD,University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Drs. Groesbeck Parham, Mulindi Mwanahamuntu, Elizabeth Stringer and John Kachimba, all of CIDRZ.

2008-2009 United States and foreign partner International Clinical Research Fellows:

Scott Peterson, MD, Infectious Disease Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Oluwemimo Jayeoba, MBChB. They will work in Gaborone, Botswana, at the Botswana Harvard Partnership (BHP) under the mentorship of Shahin Lockman, MD, MSc, and Aida Asmelash. The focus of their research will be the safety of contrimoxazole prophyslaxis in HIV and HAART, exposed infants in Botswana.

Joseph Tucker, MD, Infectious Disease Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Jin Bu, PhD. They will work in Nanjing, China at the National Center for STD & Leprosy Control, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences under the mentorship of Myron Cohen, MD and Xiang-Sheng Chen, MD, PhD. The focus of their research will be syphilis and HIV in the People's Republic of China.

Navjyot Vidwan, MD, Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellow, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She will work in Vellore, India, at Christian Medical College under the mentorship of Mark Steinhoff, MD and Valsan Verghese, MD. The focus of her research will be chlamydia trachomatis: a study on the burden of disease in pregnant women and maternal transmission to the infant in Vellore, India, with particular focus on conjunctivitis and pneumonitis infection.

Robert Choi, MD, MIA, Infectious Disease Fellow, University of Washington, and Francisca Atieno Ongecha-Owuor, MBChB, MMed. They will work in Nairobi, Kenya, at University of Nairobi under the mentorship of Carey Farquhar, MD, MPH, and Barbara Lohman-Payne, PhD. The focus of their research will be the role of mucosal IgA in protection against HIV-1 acquisition.

Jane Wanyiri, PhD, Post Doctorate, Tufts University, and Cecilia K. Mbae, MSc, BSc. They will work in Nairobi, Kenya, at Kenya Medical Research Institute under the mentorship of Honorine Ward, MD, and Claire Wamae, PhD. The focus of their research will be immune responses to cryptosporidium in HIV infected adults in Kenya.

Obinna Nedu, MD, Infectious Disease Fellow, University of Washington, and Evelyn Ngugi, MBChB. They will work in Nairobi, Kenya, at Kenya Medical Research Institute under the mentorship of Grace John-Stewart, MD, MPH, PhD, and Judd Walson, MD, MPH. The focus of their research will be malaria in HIV-1,infected adults on TMP/SMZ: incidence, correlates and effects.

Oluwatoyin Fafowora, MD, MPH, Opthamology Fellow, UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute, and Adeyinka Ashaye, MD. They will work in Ibadan, Nigeria, at University of Ibadan, University College Hospital under the mentorship of Michael Gorin, MD, PhD, and Clement Adebamowo, DSc. The focus of their research will be heritability of juvenile glaucoma in a genetically diverse population.

Jessica Yager, MD, Internal Medicine Resident, UCSF, and Verónica Yauri León. They will work in Lima, Peru, at Asociación Benéfica Proyectos en Informática, Salud, Medicina, y Agricultura (AB PRISMA) under the mentorship of Caryn Bern, MD, and Faustino Torrico, MD. The focus of their research will be congenital Chagas disease.

Jodie Dionne-Odom, MD, Infectious Disease Fellow, Emory University; Roger Bayingana, MD; and Bellington Vwalika, MD, Master’s candidate, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. They will work in Kigali, Rwanda, and Lusaka, Zambia, at the Rwanda-Zambia HIV Research Group under the mentorship of Carlos del Rio, MD and Susan Allen, MD, MPH. The focus of their research will be co-infection of HIV and syphilis in Zambia and Rwanda.

Sheela Shenoi, MD, Infectious Disease Fellow, Yale School of Medicine and Teke Apalata, MBChB. They will work in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa, at Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, Church of Scotland Hospital under the mentorship of Gerald Friedland, MD, and Adriaan Sturm, MD, PhD. The focus of their research will be characterizing the epidemiology and transmission of XDRTB in rural South Africa.

David Edwards, MD, MPH, Clinical Research Fellow, University of Cape Town. He will work in Cape Town, South Africa at the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town under the mentorship of Steven Lawn, MD, DTM&H, and Robin Wood, MD. The focus of his research will be diagnosis of TB among HIV-infected patients with advanced immunodeficiency accessing ART.

Megan Morsheimer, MD, MPH candidate, University of Cape Town, and Angela Dramowski, FCPaed, MBChB. They will work in Stellenbosch, South Africa, at Stellenbosch University under the mentorship of Charles Mitchell, MD, and Mark Cotton, MD, PhD. The focus of their research will be viral load and ART efficacy in infants with M. tuberculosis infection.

Sarah Owens, PhD. She will work in Cape Town, South Africa, at the Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine under the mentorship of Michael Aschner, PhD and Raj Ramesar. The focus of her research will be genetic and environmental modifiers of colorectal cancer in South Africans.

Emily Wong, MD, Internal Medicine Resident, UCSF. She will work in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the Reproductive Health and HIV Research Unit, University of Witwatersrand under the mentorship of David Bangsberg, MD, MPH, and Willem Daniel Francois Venter, MD. The focus of her research will be early deaths following initiation of antiretroviral therapy in Johannesburg.

Jeffrey Blander, ScD, Epidemiology post-doctorate fellow, Harvard School of Public Health, and Marina Njelekela, MD, PhD. They will work in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences under the mentorship of Wafaie Fawzi, MPH, DrPH, and Eligius Lyamuya, MD, PhD. The focus of their research will be assessing HIV/AIDS CD4 microfluidic diagnostic tools and treatment adherence programs in Tanzania.

John Koethe, MD, Infectious Disease Fellow, Vanderbilt University, and Chitalu Musonda Banda, BSc, MBChB. They will work in Lusaka, Zambia, at the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) under the mentorship of Sten Vermund, MD, PhD, and Jeffrey Stringer, MD. The focus of their research will be a randomized trial of therapeutic feeding at ART initiation in Zambia.

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