This IDSA podcast series is designed to honor 2020’s Society Award and HIVMA winners. In this episode, we speak to James D. Cherry, MD, MSc, FIDSA, recipient of the Alexander Fleming Award, and Adaora A. Adimora, MD, MPH, FIDSA, recipient of HIVMA Clinical Educator Award.
A strong advocate for immunization and the recipient of numerous awards and honors, Dr. Cherry is a legendary physician-scientist and leader recognized globally for his important and ongoing contributions to the field of pediatric infectious diseases. Over five decades, Dr. Cherry has become a giant in the field of pediatric infectious diseases, starting with his fundamental contributions to the study of enteroviral diseases, vaccine-preventable viral diseases, and the pharmacokinetics of anti-infective agents in the 1960s. We discuss his work on the measles vaccine, the importance of adulthood vaccinations, and how we can combat the growing problem of vaccine hesitancy.
Dr. Adaora is an accomplished clinician, educator, researcher, and mentor in the field of HIV for more than 30 years, authoring over 200 peer-reviewed publications. Her work includes characterizing the epidemiology of heterosexual HIV transmission among African Americans, the role of sexual network patterns in the spread of HIV, and the importance of macroeconomic and social forces in racial disparities in the U.S. HIV epidemic. We discuss Dr. Adaora's research regarding the drivers of health inequities as they related to HIV, including the intersections between HIV-related health disparities and the harsh disparities that have been exposed by COVID-19.