Organization

Mario Stevenson, Ph.D.

Director

Dr. Mario Stevenson, Ph.D., is the Director of the HIV/AIDS and Emerging Infectious Diseases Institute (HEIDI) and Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Stevenson also serves as the Director of the Global Virus Network, Co-Director of the Miami Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), and is the inaugural recipient of the Raymond F. Schinazi and Family Endowed Chair in Biomedicine.

An internationally recognized leader in the field of HIV/AIDS, his research has provided fundamental insight into the mechanism regulating HIV replication and disease pathogenesis. While much of his research has been aimed at how cellular factors influence virus-host cell interplay, Dr. Stevenson’s current focus is in HIV-1 persistence in the face of antiretroviral therapy, uncovering the functions of viral accessory genes, mechanisms of viral persistence, and immunopathogenicity. In the pursuit of these varied projects, he has developed broad expertise in research on HIV-host interplay and in particular, mechanisms of viral persistence in the face of suppressive ART and the role of host factors in innate restriction of primate lentivirus infection.

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Savita Pahwa, M.D.

Associate Director

Savita Pahwa, M.D., is Associate Director of the research arm of the HIV/AIDS Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. She is PI/Director of the NIH funded Miami Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and Director of its Laboratory Sciences Core. She is also Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Pediatrics and Medicine.

Dr. Pahwa’s expertise is in immunology and immune deficiency diseases including HIV/AIDS. Her research interests are in HIV immunopathogenesis, the influence of aging and of substance abuse on inflammation, cytokines as vaccine adjuvants, HIV reservoirs, and strategies aimed to cure HIV/AIDS. She is investigating cellular and molecular mechanisms of T-B cell interaction in antibody production in different patient groups using state-of-the-art tools. She is an investigator in the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) Network, and member of the Complications Committee of IMPAACT. In 2020, she has extended her research into understanding immune correlates of SARs Corona virus 2 infection.

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Michael A. Kolber, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Director

Michael A. Kolber, M.D., Ph.D., is the Associate Director of the clinical care and outreach arm of the HIV/AIDS Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Kolber also serves as the Director of the Comprehensive AIDS Program, Clinical Director of the Adult HIV Section for Infectious Diseases, Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs in the Department of Medicine, and Professor of Medicine.

As Director of the Comprehensive AIDS Program, Dr. Kolber interfaces directly with both community and state services and entities that provide or support HIV-related activities. He established the Infectious Diseases Research Unit and has oversight for HIV inpatient and outpatient clinical functions. Dr. Kolber holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, and Epidemiology and Public Health.

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Istvan Krisko, M.D., Ph.D., FACP

Associate Director

Istvan Krisko, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, is the Associate Director for the HIV/AIDS Emerging Infectious Diseases Institute’s partnership with the Palm Beach Infectious Disease Institute (PBIDI) where Dr. Krisko is the President and Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Krisko received his medical degree from Baylor University School of Medicine in 1963. He completed his internship and residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1965 where he received the Daniel Baker Memorial Award. In 1970, Dr. Krisko received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Rockefeller University, and later served as an Associate Professor at John Hopkins University and Cornell. 

Dr. Krisko is board certified in Internal Medicine and a Fellow of The American College of Physicians. He is a member of The American Society of Microbiology, The Infectious Disease Society of America, The Florida Infectious Diseases Society and The American Federation of Clinical Research.