Our Faculty

Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, is an infectious diseases epidemiologist whose main research interests are in understanding the evolving HIV epidemic in South Africa; factors influencing acquisition of HIV infection in adolescent girls; and sustainable strategies to introduce HAART in resource-constrained settings. In addition to being a member of the faculty at the Mailman School, Dr. Abdool Karim is an associate professor in Public Health and Family Medicine at the Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Since 1998 she has played a central role in building the science base in southern Africa through the Columbia University - Southern African Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Programme and is also an associate scientific director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA). Dr. Abdool Karim is currently co-chair of the HIV Prevention Trials Network, a large NIH funded network that sets and undertakes key HIV prevention research globally.

PhD, University of Natal, 2000

MS, Columbia University, 1988

University Affiliations:

• CAPRISA (Center for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa)

Additional Affiliations:

• Member, Industry Liaison Forum, International AIDS Society
• Scientific Advisory Board Member, Global Health Institute, University of Washington
• Scientific Advisory board Member, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Uganda
• Director, AIDS Law Project
• Member WHO/UNAIDS HIV and Maternal Mortality Working Group
• Member, Academy of Science of South Africa

• Track C Rapporteur, XVIth International AIDS Conference Toronto 2006
• Plenary address, XVth International AIDS Conference Bangkok, 2004
• Plenary Address, 12th International AIDS Conference, Geneva 199

Selected Editorial Boards

• HIV Clinical Trials
• Guest Editor Current Opinions in AIDS

Reducing HIV in Adolescents
The toll of the HIV epidemic on young women makes the need for interventions to protect them from HIV infection imperative. Such interventions need to address risk factors for HIV infection, while simultaneously addressing the social, political, and economic factors that generate vulnerability and perpetuate risk. CAPRISA?s epidemiological studies have enhanced our understanding of the evolving HIV epidemic in South Africa by generating valuable information on HIV acquisition in young women to guide the development of interventions focused on your women. The CAPRISA 007 RHIVA (Reducing HIV in Adolescents) trial a proof of concept cluster randomised controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a high school based cash incentivised intervention package to reduce HIV infection in young women in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Countries: South Africa

CAPRISA 004: Tenofovir Gel trial
CAPRISA 004: Phase II trial to assess the safety and effectiveness of the vaginal microbicide, 1% Tenofovir gel, for the prevention of HIV infection in young women in South Africa.

Countries: South Africa

Columbia University Southern African Fogarty AITRP
The magnitude of the HIV epidemic in developing countries creates the impetus for research to be undertaken in these countries. However, the limited infrastructure and human resource capacity pose many challenges. The CU-SA Fogarty AITRP has in the past 12 years contributed significantly to the development of epidemiological and basic science research capacity to enhance the response to the epidemic in South Africa through training opportunities at Columbia University and a number of academic institutions in South Africa. The program also supports HIV research capacity building in Namibia, Swaziland and Lesotho. Some indication of the impact of this program can be gleaned from the publications and leadership roles played by previous trainees.

Countries: South Africa