|
|
|
| ||||||
|
MEDIA CENTER Melissa Robbiani Named Director of Biomedical HIV Research at Population Council NEW YORK, NY (15 March 2007)—Melissa Robbiani has accepted the position of director of biomedical HIV research at the Population Council. This role is in addition to her current position as senior scientist in the Council’s HIV and AIDS program. In her new post, Robbiani will be responsible for the scientific direction of biomedical research within the HIV and AIDS program. Robbiani will assist HIV and AIDS program director Naomi Rutenberg in representing the organization’s HIV biomedical research to industry partners, donors, and professional organizations and will provide guidance to biomedical staff on project implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and analysis. In her continuing role as senior scientist, she is responsible for directing research on immunology of dendritic cell biology, HIV pathogenesis, and the prevention of HIV transmission through development of microbicides and vaccines. Robbiani earned her Ph.D. from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, in 1992, before receiving postdoctoral training at Rockefeller University mentored by Ralph Steinman. While at Rockefeller she was promoted to research associate in 1994 and to assistant professor in 1996. In 2001 she joined the Population Council as a scientist and was promoted in 2005 to senior scientist, while maintaining an adjunct faculty position at Rockefeller University. The focus of Robbiani’s work is dendritic cells, which are a vital part of the body’s immune system. She is investigating how these cells contribute to HIV transmission and how they can be manipulated to improve the effectiveness of vaccines and microbicides through in vitro and in vivo animal models. Robbiani’s group works with other biomedical researchers at the Population Council in testing Carraguard-based microbicides. (Carraguard® is the Population Council's lead candidate microbicide, a gel whose active pharmaceutical ingredient is made from carrageenan, a substance derived from seaweed.) She also collaborates with several outside researchers within the United States and overseas. Robbiani has published six book chapters and a long list of articles in prominent scientific journals. She has received numerous awards for her research from organizations such as amfAR, the US National Institutes of Health, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, The Campbell Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation. “I am looking forward to working closely with Melissa,” said Rutenberg. “She will be part of an organization-wide effort to expand the Population Council’s role in HIV and AIDS research.” About the Population Council ### Media contacts See Also
|
