August 21, 2008
Sherr wins Young Investigator Award for HIV/AIDS work
By Bobbi Nodell
News & Community Relations
Kenneth Sherr, UW clinical assistant professor in global health working at Health Alliance International (HAI), was one of five scientists worldwide honored with a Young Investigator Award at the 2008 Global AIDS Conference in Mexico City earlier this month.
The International AIDS Society (IAS) awards a Young Investigator Award to researchers no older than 35 with the highest-scoring abstract in each of the conference’s five scientific tracks.
“Among the thousands of excellent abstracts we received for AIDS 2008, the research of the Young Investigator Award winners really stands out,” said IAS President Pedro Cahn. “I think the work of these young leaders will contribute enormously to scientific progress on HIV/AIDS.”
Sherr’s abstract was titled, “Task shifting to mid-level clinical health providers: An evaluation of quality of ART [antiretroviraltreatment] provided by ‘tecnicos de medicina’ and physicians in Mozambique.”
Sherr is currently country director for Health Alliance International based in Maputo, Mozambique, and a doctoral student in epidemiology.
Sherr’s recent activities have focused on strengthening the Mozambique Ministry of Health’s capacity to deliver antiretroviral services through an integrated approach. The program has expanded public sector treatment from less than 400 to over 100,000 in a period of four years.
Health Alliance International based in Seattle has more than 800 employees working in Mozambique, Timor-Leste, Cote d’Ivoire and Sudan working to strengthen the provision of essential services by ministries of health. HAI is led by Stephen Gloyd and Mary Anne Mercer, pioneers of global health at the UW who focus their work on improving structures that lead to health disparities.
