Elaine Abrams, MD

Elaine Abrams, MD, is a professor of epidemiology and pediatrics at Columbia University and the senior research director at ICAP, based at the Mailman School of Public Health. At ICAP, Dr. Abrams leads a large and varied research portfolio that addresses critical scientific questions in HIV prevention, care and treatment. She is also responsible for the development and implementation of pediatric and perinatal prevention initiatives within ICAP-supported programs in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Dr. Abrams has been an active investigator in the field of maternal-infant HIV transmission and the natural history of HIV disease in infants, children and adolescents since the recognition of the epidemic in the United States.

She developed a comprehensive research and care program for women and children with HIV infection in Central Harlem, the Family Care Center, and has been actively involved in the development of international, national and local guidelines and policies for care and treatment. Dr. Abrams has conducted multiple studies, clinical trials and implementation science studies in the area of maternal and child HIV and is currently the chair of the HIV treatment scientific committee of the NIH funded IMPAACT clinical trials. She also co-chaired the World Health Organization 2015 clinical guidelines group, which recommended universal antiretroviral treatment for all individuals living with HIV.