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 appointed as co-chair of the International Maternal Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials (IMPAACT) Network. This network is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
IMPAACT is recognized as the largest international HIV clinical-trials network focusing on pregnant, pediatric, and adolescent populations. It operates over 50 clinical-trials sites globally. Dr. Jao is notably the first individual from Northwestern to hold the position of co-chair within this organization.
Dr. Jao will work alongside Dr. Sharon Nachman from Stony Brook University to guide the scientific direction and manage operational aspects of IMPAACT. Their efforts aim to enhance the health and well-being of infants, children, and pregnant/postpartum individuals affected by HIV worldwide.
Previously involved with IMPAACT as protocol co-chair for study P1115, Dr. Jao contributed to research showing promising outcomes for children born with HIV who achieved remission after early treatment cessation.
“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 Dr. Jao, who is also a professor at Feinberg and director at Lurie Children’s.
Dr. Jao's roles extend beyond this appointment; she is part of Northwestern’s Robert J. Havey MD Institute for Global Health and serves on several committees related to her field.
“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,” Dr. Jao stated. “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.”
Her contributions include serving on the IMPAACT Therapeutics Scientific Committee and leading various studies under different networks such as PHACS.
Listeners can hear more about Dr. Jao's research through her appearance on a podcast by Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute at Lurie Children’s.