News Release: School of Medicine, School of Public Health
Mar. 31, 2009
Rollins School of Public Health Names New Chair of Hubert Department of Global Health
Carlos del Rio, MDCarlos del Rio, MD, an internationally renowned infectious disease researcher, has been named Hubert Professor of Global Health and chair of the Hubert Department of Global Health at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. His appointment is effective April 1.
Prior to being named chair of the Hubert Department of Global Health, del Rio served as professor of medicine in the Emory School of Medicine's division of infectious diseases and chief of medicine at Grady Memorial Hospital. He will retain an appointment in the Emory medical school.
"Dr. del Rio has had an extraordinary impact on Emory not only in multiple areas of scholarship, grant development, administration, teaching and clinical care, but also in international research, training and intervention," says James W. Curran, MD, MPH, dean of the Rollins School of Public Health. "We are delighted that he is going to join us to lead this key department of global health, which is so fundamental to everything we do in public health."
An expert on the impact of HIV in the United States and in developing countries, del Rio has been at the forefront of Emory's leadership in efforts to stem the AIDS epidemic. He is co-director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). Under his direction, Emory is funded by the National Institutes of Health as an AIDS International Training and Research Program, with international collaborations with Mexico, the Republic of Georgia, Rwanda, Zambia and Vietnam for training fellows in the United States and abroad. He has also served as a member of the Emory Global Health Institute's Advisory Committee and will soon become a senior advisor for the University-wide initiative.
In addition, del Rio is director of the World Health Organization's Collaborating Center on AIDS and a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Institute for Developing Nations. He was recently nominated to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on HIV and STD Prevention and Treatment.
"I am thrilled by the opportunity to lead the Hubert Department of Global Health at a time when unprecedented resources from both governments and philanthropic organizations are being directed to address health problems and inequalities affecting populations around the world,” says del Rio. “My goal will be to continue to attract the best and brightest students and faculty to the department and the Rollins School of Public Health.”
"The lessons we all learn from global health will also benefit the populations of the United States,” he adds. “We need to 'think globally but act locally.’”
A native of Mexico, del Rio received his medical degree from the Universidad La Salle in Mexico City, and completed his internship and residency at Emory. Upon returning to Mexico City, he became head of infectious disease at the Hospital Angeles del Pedregal and associate professor of medicine at the Universidad La Salle. From 1992 until 1996 he was executive director of the national AIDS Council of Mexico. Today del Rio is still a leading collaborator with Mexico’s National Institute for Public Health in Cuernavaca.
The Hubert Department of Global Health provides unparalleled opportunities for its faculty members and student researchers to identify and reduce barriers to health and wellness worldwide. Its master's degree program focuses on four areas: infectious disease, public nutrition, reproductive health and community health. Over the past few years the department has averaged more than $13 million in funded research, which includes initiatives to provide safe water to people around the globe, develop innovative HIV/AIDS prevention strategies and combat the global diabetes epidemic. Faculty and students also benefit from the department's partnerships with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Cancer Society, CARE and The Carter Center.
To learn more about the Rollins School of Public Health, visit www.sph.emory.edu.
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The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service. Its components include schools of medicine, nursing, and public health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; the Emory Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health system in Georgia. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has a $2.3 billion budget, 17,000 employees, 2,300 full-time and 1,900 affiliated faculty, 4,300 students and trainees, and a $4.9 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta.
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