We are very proud to have Dr. Susan Swindells as a part of our division. A nationally and internationally renowned HIV clinical researcher, Dr. Swindells is a Professor of Internal Medicine-Infectious Diseases at University of Nebraska Medical Center. For many years she has led the Specialty Care Center in providing extraordinary care to patients with HIV in Omaha.
Simultaneously, Dr. Swindells has also led several groundbreaking clinical trials investigating HIV treatment and management of tuberculosis in people with HIV. Earlier this year, Dr. Swindells was the lead author on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that found “a 1-month regimen of rifapentine plus isoniazid was noninferior to 9 months of isoniazid alone for preventing tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients“.
Now, Dr. Swindells will be one of four scientists leading as protocol chair for a new Phase 3, international, multi-site clinical trial evaluating drugs to be used to prevent multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), which affects many people with HIV globally.
Dr. Kim Scarsi PharmD is a nationally and internationally recognized HIV Pharmacist, and UNMC ID Faculty member. Dr. Scarsi was named as the protocol pharmacologist for the study. Dr. Scarsi was recently recognized by the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) with the Constance B Wofsy Woman’s Health Award “in Recognition of Scientific Contributions to Research in HIV-Infected Women and Embodiment of Qualities Exemplified by Dr. Wofsy“.
The study, called PHOENIx MDR-TB, is funded by the NIH (including the AIDS Clinical Trials Group and the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Network), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the trial drug delamanid, will be donated by the manufacturer, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of Tokyo.
Learn more about this new study that Dr. Swindells will be leading here.
More about MDR-TB here.