J. Victor García-Martinez, PhD, professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and Director of the International Center for the Advancement of Translational Science was keynote lecturer at the 35th International Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR) last month. During the conference he was presented the second 2022 Diversity Speaker Award from the International Society for Antiviral Research (ISAR).
Dr. García has made seminal contributions to the understanding of HIV pathogenesis, which are central to our ability to eventually eradicate a virus and find a cure for a disease that affects millions of people in this country and around the world. Using state-of-the-art precision animal models, Dr. García and his group have demonstrated the potential of novel antiviral drugs to control viral replication leading to therapeutic interventions for the diseases they cause. These models are used to study an array of human respiratory pathogens including RSV, CMV, influenza, MERS, SARS, SARS-CoV-2, and tuberculosis. His research is conducted through the UNC Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases and Center for AIDS Research.
Dr. García is dedicated to creating and translating knowledge that can advance the fight against infectious diseases with the highest clinical significance like COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and his contributions to Inclusion and Diversity have been recognized by the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Society for Cell Biology. Dr. García has trained over 13 PhD students 40 postdoctoral fellows (past and present), who now hold positions in industry, government, and academic institutions.
The Diversity Speaker Award is bestowed onto a scientist of any group historically underrepresented in in their field of research and our Society who has made outstanding contributions to the field of antiviral research.
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