The focus of Dr. Alan Berkman’s work is the development of comprehensive programs in resource-constrained settings that integrate prevention, treatment and mitigation of HIV/AIDS at a population level. His background includes clinical care of patients with HIV and formal training in behavioral approaches to HIV prevention through a post-doctoral fellowship at the HIV Center. He was an early advocate for the global expansion of HIV care and treatment programs and continues to explore ways that such programs can be used to strengthen prevention efforts. His work in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, while initially focused on adults, has increasingly brought his attention to the issue of the family as a unit and the particular impact of the epidemic on children. His research interests include the development of behavioral interventions that promote adherence to care and prevention for HIV+ individuals; structural interventions to strengthen family and community-based efforts to stabilize the lives of orphans and vulnerable children, and policy issues including HIV testing algorithms and innovative approaches to prevention of maternal to child transmission. Dr. Berkman is a member of the leadership group of Columbia University's International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs, which provides technical assistance to nine African countries through funding from PEPFAR. He is co-director of the NIH-funded Columbia-Southern Africa Fogarty AIDS International Training and Research Program and the related Fogarty-Ellison Training Program.

It was with great sadness that the HIV Center noted the passing of our friend and colleague Alan Berkman, M.D. on Friday, June 5, 2009. To read more about Dr. Berkman's remarkable career and accomplishments, click here.

<back to top>