People in global health news

Ted Trimble retires from global health duties at NCI

After 34 years at the NCI, Dr. Ted Trimble has retired from his position as senior advisor for global HPV and cervical cancer control. Trimble became the founding director of the newly established NCI Center for Global Health (CGH) in 2011 and served in that position until 2018. Under his leadership, CGH coordinated NCI efforts to strengthen global cancer research, train future generations of global cancer researchers, and translate research findings into cancer control policies. Prior to this appointment, Trimble served as head of gynecologic cancer therapeutics in NCI's division of cancer treatment and diagnosis, where he spearheaded the development of a national and international cancer research strategy for the treatment of cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer.

NAM selects Carl Nathan for Hamburg award

Carl F. Nathan, PhD, a long-standing NIH grantee, has received the 2025 David and Beatrix Hamburg Award for Advances in Biomedical Research and Clinical Medicine. Experts convened by the National Academy of Medicine selected Nathan, a professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine, for his research to improve understanding of innate immunity and his efforts to address antimicrobial resistance. His work has led to better diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis and a range of other infectious diseases. Nathan’s lab focuses on TB and host interactions to better understand and improve how the immune system kills antigens.

Pew scholars program awards Bramble, Brook

In September, Pew Charitable Trusts selected 22 researchers for its 2025 scholars program. One of the awardees, Matthew Bramble, PhD, an assistant professor at Children’s National Hospital, is exploring the molecular biology of konzo, a neurological condition that causes paralysis in susceptible children in sub-Saharan Africa. His research examining the modulatory role played by the gut microbiome in the pathogenesis of konzo disease is supported by Fogarty. As a Pew scholar, he will receive four years of funding to continue this work, which is conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Pew also selected Cara Brook, PhD, an assistant professor at University of California, Berkeley, who designs vaccines to immunize wild bats against viruses that can be transmitted to humans. Using techniques in immunology, mathematical modeling, and biology, Brook explores how Madagascar bats develop natural immunity to viruses and evaluates whether vaccines can boost this immunity. Her work could provide a new strategy for pandemic prevention that uses wildlife vaccination to eradicate viruses prior to human infections. Brook is a grantee of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Adekemi Adeniyan wins 2025 Roux Prize

The 2025 Roux Prize winner is Dr. Adekemi Adeniyan, executive director of Dentalcare Foundation. As executive director, Adeniyan has led the deployment of mobile dental clinics and Nigeria's first solar-powered tele-dental kiosk to deliver care to more than 100,000 people in rural communities. She’s also trained 2,500 teachers and community health workers to promote oral health in their regions of Nigeria, where less than 20% of people have access to oral health care. The Roux Prize reflects the mission of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease Study to quantify health levels and trends worldwide.

Abdool Karim, Bhutta jointly win Virchow Prize 2025

The Virchow Foundation jointly awarded Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, and Dr. Zulfiqar A. Bhutta its 2025 prize in recognition of their leadership in advancing maternal, newborn, and child health. Abdool Karim, a clinical epidemiologist at Columbia University, studies HIV prevention among girls and young women. Her leadership of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa 004 trial provided the first proof that antiretroviral drugs could prevent HIV infection in women, a finding that continues to impact global HIV prevention efforts today. A long-standing Fogarty grantee, Abdool Karim has built scientific capacity across Africa.

Bhutta, a pediatrician and public health scientist at Aga Khan University (Pakistan) and the Hospital for Sick Children (Canada), leads major studies on maternal, newborn, and child health, nutrition, and primary care. His research informs international and national guidelines and policies in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and other settings. Bhutta, who has provided technical assistance for various NIH grant projects, champions community health worker programs and nutrition interventions during the critical first 1,000 days of life. The Virchow Foundation annually honors outstanding contributions and lifelong achievements in global health.