(Republished from the UNC Health Care and UNC School of Medicine Newsroom.)
Jonathan Juliano, MD, MSPH, has been invited to join the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). Founded in 1908, the ASCI is one of the nation’s oldest and most respected medical honor societies. It seeks to support the scientific efforts, educational needs and clinical aspirations of physician-scientists to improve health.
“ASCI’s mission to support physician-scientists and advance research through the physician-scientist community is essential for the continual improvement of treatments for human diseases,” said Juliano, an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases. “It was an unexpected honor to be nominated and elected by my peers, and I am proud to join the ASCI members at UNC and across the country.”
Membership is based on a nomination process. This year, 176 nominations were submitted. The ASCI Council recommended Juliano as one of the 80 inductees who will be officially welcomed into the society during the ASCI dinner and new membership ceremony on April 5, 2019, in Chicago. David Margolis, MD, professor of medicine in the UNC Division of Infectious Diseases and director of the UNC HIV Cure Center, nominated Juliano for membership.
“The ASCI was founded at the start of the last century to recognize and promote the role of scientific discovery and invention in advancing human health,” said Margolis. “Jon’s dedication and accomplishments as a physician-scientist make him a natural member of the Society.”
Juliano juggles many responsibilities at UNC. In addition to being an associate professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, he is an adjunct professor in the Department of Epidemiology, a mentor in the Curriculum of Genetics and Molecular Biology, the associate director of research and professional development for the UNC Infectious Diseases Fellowship program, and the medical director of UNC Hospitals Antibiotic Stewardship team. He is also a member of the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases.
In addition to his clinical duties, Juliano helped found the Infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Ecology Lab (IDEEL) at UNC. There, he specializes in next-generation sequencing technologies to study malaria. His use of advanced genetic methodologies to explore the epidemiological and evolutionary factors that shape parasite populations, drive parasite genetic diversity, and allow the parasite to escape control measures has garnered international acclaim.
In 2016, his trainees nominated him for UNC’s Distinguished Teaching Award for Post-Baccalaureate Instruction. In addition to this honor, he was selected in 2018 as a Yang Family Medical Scholar, an award which recognizes the research achievements of young tenured faculty.