Principal Investigators
The ALIVE study is home to professors, researchers, clinicians, students and staff with a wide range of scientific expertise and interests, all connected with the common goal of studying HIV/AIDS in a cohort of injecting drug users in Baltimore, Maryland.
The pricipal investigators (PIs) oversee all aspects of the study, write grants, liason with funding agencies, publish and present findings, mentor students and coordinate with other related studies and substudies.
ALIVE I: Greg D. Kirk, MD, PhD
Dr. Kirk's research focuses on understanding the natural history of viral infections, particularly HIV and the hepatitis viruses, in both domestic and international settings. His research in ALIVE ranges from pathogenesis to clinical to behavioral, particularly focusing on the non-AIDS outcomes of HIV including cancer, liver and lung diseases. The interaction of viral, environmental and genetic factors is an important determinant in progression of many viral diseases and his research employs genetic, proteomic, and other novel laboratory and imaging methods to help understand and identify individuals at greatest risk for clinically relevant outcomes from HIV, HBV and HCV infections. The long-term goal of this research is to translate these markers into targeted interventions to help reduce the burden from these infections.
ALIVE II: Shruti H. Mehta, PhD
Dr. Mehta's primary research interests include working with hard-to reach populations to understand the epidemiology, natural and treated history of HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV/HCV co-infection. Populations of interest include injection drug users and men who have sex with men as well as their sexual partners in both Baltimore and international settings, particularly India. She has a special interest in identifying and overcoming barriers to care and treatment of HIV and hepatitis C virus among such populations.