Dear UW-Fred Hutch CFAR community,
We celebrate the announcement of Dr. Jane Simoni’s appointment as the NIH Associate Director for Behavioral and Social Sciences and Director of the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research effective July 30, 2023, where she will work to advance and coordinate behavioral and social sciences research at NIH (see announcement). Jane has 25 years of research experience on HIV adherence strategies and health disparities and resilience among marginalized peoples, including those living with HIV, diabetes and other chronic diseases, mental health issues, Latinx, LGBT+ and indigenous peoples.
Jane has served many roles at the University of Washington, including co-Director of the UW-Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research, Founding Director of the UW Behavioral Research Center (BIRCH), Professor of Psychology, and Director of the Clinical Training in the Department of Psychology. She has been a highly collaborative colleague who fosters interdisciplinary research, an outstanding mentor, champion for early- and mid-stage investigators, and prolific scholar. Her work has a global footprint with studies in the US, Haiti, China, and Kenya, which has been highly impactful and guides our approaches to medication adherence support. We thank Jane for her many contributions to the UW-Fred Hutch CFAR and congratulate her on her NIH leadership position.
We also welcome Dr. Kenneth Mugwanya as the interim co-Director of the UW-Fred Hutch CFAR. Kenneth brings expertise in HIV prevention clinical research and implementation science with a focus on PrEP delivery for populations in Africa. He is an outstanding researcher who has led studies of PrEP pharmacokinetics, safety, efficacy, and integration with family planning services. He is a core faculty member in the CFAR Developmental Core and an Associate Director of the International Clinical Research Center. We will initiate a search for the permanent Co-Director position in September and plan to have the search completed by end of 2023.
Warm Regards,
Connie Celum, MD, MPH
CFAR Director
Susan Mello, EMPA
CFAR Associate Director