The International Leadership Award (ILA), one of the Foundation’s most prestigious honors, seeks to build a global network of clinical and/or scientific leaders focused on pediatric HIV/AIDS. These individuals, who are among the best and brightest scientific minds, are poised to build and lead strong implementation or research efforts. The ILA program provides financial support for those working in places hardest hit by the AIDS pandemic. Awardees not only complete innovative projects, but also mentor and train other promising clinicians, researchers, and health care workers in their countries, thereby cultivating another generation of individuals capable of making an enduring impact on the epidemic.

Since the program’s inception in 2002, the Foundation has funded projects in 10 countries worldwide. Over the past three years, the awardees have mentored more than 60 staff; trained more than 800 health care staff, including, doctors, nurses, counselors, and technicians; and published more than 30 peer-reviewed publications and manuscripts. To date, the ILA Program has provided more than $5.1 million dollars in grants to 12 exceptional researchers.

Downlaod our 2007 ILA fact sheet.

For more information, contact research@pedaids.org.

2007 International Leadership Awards
Congratulations to the 2007 ILA recipients:

Assan Jaye, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratories, The Gambia, West Africa
“Establishment of a Pediatric HIV Clinical and Research Unit for the Study of Pathogenesis and Treatment of Pediatric HIV-1 and HIV-2 Infection in The Gambia”

• Dr. Jaye’s project will establish a pediatric HIV unit that will combine clinical and laboratory research in order to provide specialist care for HIV-positive children. In addition, it will be used as a setting to research pediatric HIV infection in West Africa.

Anneke C. Hesseling, M.D., M.Sc.
Senior Clinical Researcher, Desmond Tutu TB Centre, Department of Pediatrics and Child Health and Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
“Integrated HIV/TB Prevention Strategies to Reduce Morbidity in HIV-Infected Women and Their Infants in Highly Endemic Settings: Towards Integrated Comprehensive Maternal and Infant PMTCT Care”

• Dr. Hesseling’s project aims to improve ante- and postnatal prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) care and improve maternal and infant health outcomes by creating an integrated PMTCT program. The program will include routine antenatal maternal child health and tuberculosis (TB) testing and education, routine TB testing, and more.

Purnima Madhivanan, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., Ph.D.
Executive Director, Public Health Research Institute (PHRI), Mysore, Karnataka, India
“Project Kisalaya (“young tender shoot” in Sanskrit): Integrating Traditional Birth Attendants in PMTCT Service Delivery in Mysore District, India”

• Dr. Madhivanan’s project will set up a network of traditional birth attendants trained to identify and counsel pregnant women on prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and to refer antenatal cases to a mobile health care clinic.

Award recipient archives