Kevin Robertson, PhD, is a professor of neurology and the director of the AIDS Neurological Center. He has led global research initiatives, and trained clinicians and researchers all over the world to establish research centers in Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, Nigeria, India, Thailand, Peru, and Zimbabwe. This summer, Robertson was recognized for his role in training the next generation of AIDS researchers across the globe by the American Psychological Association as the 2016 Distinguished Leader in Psychology and AIDS.
Robertson shared, “Even in 1987, there was a real interest in establishing an infrastructure here in infectious diseases and other disciplines. Things really took off when the Global HIV Prevention and Treatment Clinical Trials Unit was established to test the drugs that were in development and determine how effective they were.
Joe Eron led a number of those studies, and he’s just been a great collaborator and wonderful scientist and clinician and researcher. Mike Cohen has always been very supportive of my research in HIV in the brain. There’s always been really wonderful, collaborative, cutting-edge, leading scientists here at UNC doing this work. And it shows.
It shows in Mike Cohen’s work – showing that the virus can be suppressed and not transmitted to partners if you’re taking your antiretrovirals – and Ron Swanstrom’s work. Dr. Swanstrom, who’s head of the Center for AIDS Research, and I have had a long collaboration, as well, studying virus in the brain and comparing that to systemic virus and looking for compartmentalization.”
