Myron S. Cohen, M.D.

mscohen@med.unc.edu 4123 Bioinformatics Building Campus Box 7030 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7030 919.966.2536

Biosketch

Myron S. Cohen is the J. Herbert Bate Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology and Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Cohen received his BS degree (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He received an MD degree from RushMedicalCollege, ChicagoIllinois. He completed an Infectious Disease Fellowship at YaleUniversity. Dr. Cohen has served as the Director of the UNC Division of Infectious Disease for the past 17 years, and the UNCCenter for Infectious Disease for the past 7 years. Dr. Cohen is Associate Director of the UNCCenter for AIDS Research. Dr. Cohen serves on the Senior Leadership Group of the new NIHCenter for HIV Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI). Dr. Cohen serves as the Chair of NIH HPTN Prevention Committee. Dr. Cohen serves as an Associate Editor of the journal Sexually Transmitted Diseases and as a co-author of the comprehensive textbook Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Dr. Cohen has received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from RushMedicalCollege (2000). He received the Thomas Parran Award (2005) for lifetime achievement in STD research from the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association.



Dr. Cohen’s work focuses on the transmission and prevention of transmission of HIV, with emphasis on the role played by STD co-infections. He has conducted landmark studies related to the biology of HIV transmission, and use of antiretroviral agents for prevention. In 2005, Dr. Cohen received an NIH MERIT Award for ongoing support of this work. Dr. Cohen is the author of more than 400 publications. Much of Dr. Cohen’s research has been conducted in resource constrained countries, especially in the African country of Malawi and in the People’s Republic of China. Dr. Cohen serves as the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the China CIPRA (located at the China CDC), and as co-director of an NIH Ellison Fellowship Program at the National STD Center in Nanjing China.

Publications

Pettifor AE, Levandowski BA, Macphail C, Miller WC, Tabor J, Ford C, Stein CR, Rees H, Cohen M (2011). A Tale of Two Countries: Rethinking Sexual Risk for HIV Among Young People in South Africa and the United States. J Adolesc Health. 49(3):237-243.e1.

Powers KA, Ghani AC, Miller WC, Hoffman IF, Pettifor AE, Kamanga G, Martinson FE, Cohen MS (2011). The role of acute and early HIV infection in the spread of HIV and implications for transmission prevention strategies in Lilongwe, Malawi: a modelling study. Lancet. 378(9787):256-68.

Smith K, Powers KA, Kashuba AD, Cohen MS (2011). HIV-1 treatment as prevention: the good, the bad, and the challenges. Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 6(4):315-25.

Gay C, Dibben O, Anderson JA, Stacey A, Mayo AJ, Norris PJ, Kuruc JD, Salazar-Gonzalez JF, Li H, Keele BF, Hicks C, Margolis D, Ferrari G, Haynes B, Swanstrom R, Shaw GM, Hahn BH, Eron JJ, Borrow P, Cohen MS (2011). Cross-sectional detection of acute HIV infection: timing of transmission, inflammation and antiretroviral therapy. PLoS One. 6(5):e19617.

Tucker JD, Yang LG, Yang B, Zheng HP, Chang H, Wang C, Shen SY, Zhu ZJ, Yin YP, Subramanian SV, Chen XS, Cohen MS (2011). A Twin Response to Twin Epidemics: Integrated HIV/Syphilis Testing at STI Clinics in South China. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 57(5):e106-e111.

Cohen MS (2010). HIV treatment as prevention and "the Swiss statement": in for a dime, in for a dollar? Clin Infect Dis. 51(11):1323-4.

Cohen MS (2010). HIV treatment as prevention: to be or not to be? J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 55(2):137-8.

Zhou P, Li K, Lu H, Qian Y, Gu X, Gong W, Tucker JD, Cohen MS (2010). Azithromycin treatment failure among primary and secondary syphilis patients in Shanghai. Sex Transm Dis. 37(11):726-9.

Pearline RV, Tucker JD, Yuan LF, Bu J, Yin YP, Chen XS, Cohen MS (2010). Sexually transmitted infections among individuals over fifty years of age in China. AIDS Patient Care STDS. 24(6):345-7.

Mastro TD, Cohen MS (2010). Honing the test-and-treat HIV strategy. Science. 328(5981):976.

Gay CL, Mwapasa V, Murdoch DM, Kwiek JJ, Fiscus SA, Meshnick SR, Cohen MS (2010). Acute HIV infection among pregnant women in Malawi. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 66(4):356-60.

Yin YP, Wei WH, Wang HC, Zhu BY, Yu YH, Chen XS, Peeling RW, Cohen MS (2009). Performance of serological tests for syphilis in sexually transmitted diseases clinics in Guangxi Autonomous Region, China: implications for syphilis surveillance and control. Sex Health. 6(1):5-9.

Cohen MS (2008). HIV postexposure prophylaxis after sexual assault: why is it so hard to accomplish? Sex Transm Dis. 35(12):979-80.

Gay CL, Cohen MS (2008). Antiretrovirals to prevent HIV infection: pre- and postexposure prophylaxis. Curr Infect Dis Rep. 10(4):323-31.

Pettifor A, Macphail C, Rees H, Cohen M (2008). HIV and sexual behavior among young people: the South African paradox. Sex Transm Dis. 35(10):843-4.

Powers KA, Miller WC, Pilcher CD, Mapanje C, Martinson FE, Fiscus SA, Chilongozi DA, Namakhwa D, Price MA, Galvin SR, Hoffman IF, Cohen MS; Malawi UNC Project Acute HIV Study Team (2007). Improved detection of acute HIV-1 infection in sub-Saharan Africa: development of a risk score algorithm. AIDS. 21(16):2237-42.

Chen XS, Yin YP, Tucker JD, Gao X, Cheng F, Wang TF, Wang HC, Huang PY, Cohen MS (2007). Detection of Acute and Established HIV Infections in Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinics in Guangxi, China: Implications for Screening and Prevention of HIV Infection. J Infect Dis. 196(11):1654-61.

Pilcher CD, Joaki G, Hoffman IF, Martinson FE, Mapanje C, Stewart PW, Powers KA, Galvin S, Chilongozi D, Gama S, Price MA, Fiscus SA, Cohen MS (2007). Amplified transmission of HIV-1: comparison of HIV-1 concentrations in semen and blood during acute and chronic infection. AIDS. 21(13):1723-30.

Wong SP, Yin YP, Gao X, Wei WH, Shi MQ, Huang PY, Wang H, Chen Q, Liu M, Tucker JD, Chen XS, Cohen MS (2007). Risk of syphilis in STI clinic patients: a cross-sectional study of 11,500 cases in Guangxi, China. Sex Transm Infect. 83(5):351-6.

Pettifor AE, Hudgens MG, Levandowski BA, Rees HV, Cohen MS (2007). Highly efficient HIV transmission to young women in South Africa. AIDS. 21(7):861-5.

Hosseinipour MC, Napravnik S, Joaki G, Gama S, Mbeye N, Banda B, Martinson F, Hoffman I, Cohen MS (2007). HIV and parasitic infection and the effect of treatment among adult outpatients in Malawi. J Infect Dis. 195(9):1278-82.

Chen ZQ, Zhang GC, Gong XD, Lin C, Gao X, Liang GJ, Yue XL, Chen XS, Cohen MS (2007). Syphilis in China: results of a national surveillance programme.
Lancet. 369(9556):132-8.

Fiscus SA, Pilcher CD, Miller WC, Powers KA, Hoffman IF, Price M, Chilongozi DA, Mapanje C, Krysiak R, Gama S, Martinson FE, Cohen MS; Malawi-University of North Carolina Project Acute HIV Infection Study Team (2007). Rapid, real-time detection of acute HIV infection in patients in Africa. J Infect Dis. 195(3):416-24.

Seña AC, Miller WC, Hobbs MM, Schwebke JR, Leone PA, Swygard H, Atashili J, Cohen MS (2007). Trichomonas vaginalis infection in male sexual partners: implications for diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. Clin Infect Dis. 44(1):13-22.

Price MA, Stewart SR, Miller WC, Behets F, Dow WH, Martinson FE, Chilongozi D, Cohen MS (2006). The cost-effectiveness of treating male trichomoniasis to avert HIV transmission in men seeking sexually transmitted disease care in Malawi. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 43(2):202-9.

Gallo MF, Behets FM, Steiner MJ, Hobbs MM, Hoke TH, Van Damme K, Ralimamonjy L, Raharimalala L, Cohen MS (2006). Prostate-specific antigen to ascertain reliability of self-reported coital exposure to semen. Sex Transm Dis. 33(8):476-9.

Cohen MS. (2006). When people with HIV get syphilis: triple jeopardy. Sex Transm Dis. 33(3):149-50.

Galvin SR, Cohen MS (2006). Genital tract reservoirs. Curr Opin HIV AIDS. 1(2):162-6.

Ford CA, Pence BW, Miller WC, Resnick MD, Bearinger LH, Pettingell S, Cohen M. (2005). Predicting adolescents' longitudinal risk for sexually transmitted infection: results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 159(7):657-64.

Hoyo C, Hoffman I, Moser BK, Hobbs MM, Kazembe P, Krysiak RG, Cohen MS 2005). Improving the accuracy of syndromic diagnosis of genital ulcer disease in Malawi. Sex Transm Dis. 32(4):231-7.

Hoyo, C, Hoffman, I, Moser, B, Hobbs, MM, Kazembe, P, Krysiak, RG and Cohen, MS. Improving the accuracy of syndromic diagnosis of genital ulcer disease in Malawi. STD 32: 231-237, 2005.

Tucker , JD; Henderson, GE; Wang, TF; Huang, Y Parish, W; Pan, S; Chen, X S; Cohen, MS. Surplus men, sex work, and the spread of HIV in China. AIDS 19: 539-547, 2005.

Price MA, Hoffman, IF, Chilongozi, D, Martinson, FEA, Tembo, T, Cohen, MS. “Collecting the essence of man: Semen collection for HIV transmission studies in sub-Saharan Africa. Sex Transm Infect. 205: 185-6, 2005.

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Accomlishments

J. Herbert Bate Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Public Health.

Affiliations

Center for Infectious Diseases
Center for Aids Research (CFAR)
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases