Dr. Jennifer Jao, a pediatric infectious disease expert from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, has been selected as co-chair of the International Maternal Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) Network. The network, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), comprises over 50 clinical-trials sites globally and is the largest international HIV clinical-trials network addressing pregnant, pediatric, and adolescent populations.
Serving alongside Dr. Sharon Nachman from Stony Brook University, Jao will help direct the scientific agenda and oversee the operational and administrative functions of the network. The primary goal is to improve the health and well-being of infants, children, and pregnant/postpartum individuals affected by HIV and its co-morbidities worldwide.
Prior Involvement with IMPAACT
Jao's involvement with IMPAACT includes her role as protocol co-chair of IMPAACT P1115. This study reported promising findings last year, demonstrating that children born with HIV who started treatment promptly after birth achieved over a year of remission after pausing antiretroviral therapy. This highlights the potential for early intervention strategies in managing pediatric HIV.
Leadership Perspective
"I am extremely humbled and excited to co-chair the IMPAACT Network as it ends the HIV epidemic in the most strategic populations for our future: infants, children and pregnant individuals," said Jao, professor of pediatrics at Feinberg and director of the section on maternal, pediatric and adolescent HIV infection at Lurie Children’s. She also emphasized her understanding of the network's potential, stating, "As an infectious disease specialist and principal investigator of multiple NIH-funded international and domestic studies, I understand the unique potential of the IMPAACT Network. I very much look forward to learning from and partnering with Dr. Nachman and the current IMPAACT leadership to lead the network into the future."
Additional Roles and Contributions
In addition to her new role as co-chair, Jao is a member of the IMPAACT Therapeutics Scientific Committee and one of the principal investigators of the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) Network. Her research also includes multiple studies worldwide focusing on pregnant people living with HIV and their children, as well as adolescents and youth with perinatally acquired HIV.
