COVID-19 and HIV: Lessons learned from healthcare workers around the world - Session 2

Dr. Robert Paulino-Ramirez

He is Professor of Tropical Medicine and Global Health and Medical Virology at the Universidad Iberoamericana-UNIBE School of Medicine, and Clinical Associate Professor at Michigan State University (MSU). Principal Investigator and past director of the UNIBE Institute of Tropical Medicine & Global Health. Senior Researcher of the National Health Research Career, and Researcher of the Year in the Health category of the National Research Award (2018). Young Investigator Award from the Pan American Association of Infectious Diseases (API) (2021). He was Scientific Director of the COVID-19 Health Management and Emergency Committee. Doctor of Medicine from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), postgraduate in Molecular Microbiology from Michigan State University (MSU), and fellowship in Infectious Diseases and HIV from Presbyterian Hospital, New York City, Weil-Cornell Medical College. Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom, and Master in Higher Education and Management from the Santo Domingo Catholic University. Member of the Dominican Academy of Medicine, the American Virology Society, the International AIDS Society, the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the National Geographic Society, and the American Association of HIV Specialists.

Dr. Paulino-Ramírez has been principal investigator in numerous epidemiological and clinical studies studying HIV/AIDS and other STIs in vulnerable populations. He was the principal investigator of the Dominican Genomics project and conducted multiple investigations on SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the DR.

Senior Researcher at the HIV Clinic of the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Méxicas y Nutrición, Salvador Zubirán (INCMNSZ) and Assistant Professor of the HIV Program of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Member of the National Researchers System since 2011 appointed by the Mexican National Council for Science and Technology.

Leader of the CRS- Nutrición/México for the ACTG network since 2020. Sub-Investigator for the site in Mexico for the Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology (CCASAnet), region 2 of the IeDEA International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS since 2008 collaboration that has served as a regional research model to support evidence-based HIV responses in the region. Member of the Executive Committee of NEAT-ID network. Member of the IDSA Leadership Institute, class 2023.

Past Local Chair of the IAS Scientific Conference 2019 in Mexico City. Current Representative of Latin America and the Caribbean at IAS Governing Council since 2022.

Dr. Gandhi is an HIV doctor, Professor of Medicine at UCSF and an expert on metrics to assess adherence to PrEP and HIV antiretroviral therapy. She has developed a point of care urine adherence test to assess adherence to PrEP.