Igor Grant, M.D. (Mary Gilman Marston Distinguished Professor has an extensive track record in research on both HIV and drugs including methamphetamine (METH), alcohol, and polysubstance use. He has directed multidisciplinary and multi-site projects for many years. Dr. Grant also has fostered the careers of young scientists, having been dissertation Chair for more than 30 graduate students and senior mentor to numerous junior faculty, many of whom now have independent peer review supported research careers. Dr. Grant will be assisted by three Co-Directors representing the disciplines of Neurobiology, Neurology, and Infectious Disease, as well as by a mid-level faculty Center Manager and a junior faculty Associate Center Manager.
Cristian L. Achim, M.D., Ph.D.
Cristian L. Achim, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Psychiatry and Pathology; TMARC Co-Director/Director, Neuroscience and Animal Models (NAM) Core) is a neuroscientist who contributed to the early observations on the nature of brain injury in HIV disease. More recently, his work has focused on the role of chaperone proteins (immunophilins) in HIV neuropathogenesis, while his clinical research involves an international study on neurologic effects of clade F infection in Romanian adolescents.
Ronald J. Ellis, M.D., Ph.D.
Ronald J. Ellis, M.D., Ph.D. (Professor of Neurosciences; TMARC Co-Director/Co-Investigator, Behavioral Assessment and Neuromedical (BAM) Core) is a neurologist, trained in neuropsychology, who has performed extensive research on viral compartmentalization in the central nervous system (CNS), as well as the utility of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a window into neurologic events in living persons. His clinical work and research are focused on the neurological manifestations of HIV infection and their pathogenesis and treatment, particularly dementia, neurocognitive disorders, and sensory polyneuropathy. Dr. Ellis has held leadership positions within numerous NIH-funded clinical trials networks, including the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). He is frequently consulted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to serve on advisory boards, grant review committees, and other expert bodies.
Scott L. Letendre, M.D.
Scott L. Letendre, M.D. (Professor of Medicine; TMARC Co-Director/Co-Director, BAM Core) has worked closely with Dr. Grant for more than a decade on many San Diego-based and multisite projects, including as Core Director of the CNS HIV Anti-Retroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER) initiative Laboratory and Biomarkers Core. An infectious disease physician, he has contributed to our understanding of inflammatory biomarkers in the CSF, demonstrated a relationship between such biomarkers and METH use, identified important links with other pathogens that infect people living with HIV, and has contributed to modeling the distribution of antiretroviral drugs into the CNS. Dr. Letendre will assist Dr. Grant in infectious disease-related and laboratory aspects of TMARC.
Mariana Cherner, Ph.D.
Mariana Cherner, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Psychiatry; TMARC Center Manager) is a neuropsychologist with expertise in neurobehavioral functioning at the intersection of HIV and substance. She has received several NIDA-funded grants aimed at investigating the host genetics of brain dysfunction among individuals with HIV and METH dependence.
Erin E. Morgan, Ph.D.
Erin E. Morgan, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, Psychiatry; TMARC Associate Center Manager) received graduate and postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology. In addition to having been awarded pilot and developmental projects to investigate the cognitive and everyday functioning sequelae of HIV infection and METH dependence, she is also the Director of TMARC Project 3 (see description below).