AIDS Clinical Research Unit
Over 33 million people live with HIV/AIDS. Greater than one million of them are in the United States. There are over 20 different medications used to treat those infected with HIV/AIDS available in the United States, yet people are still progressing to AIDS and people are dying. The goal of a vaccine is to stop people from getting infected or to slow or stop those who are infected from getting worse. To date, efforts to develop effective vaccines have not been successful and there has been a call for more discovery research in this area. To address this growing need for the development of a successful vaccine, researchers and clinicians at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have come together to build a unique collaboration. This intersection of expertise leverages efforts to develop an effective HIV vaccine based on an innovative scientific approach. Margaret Fischl, M.D. is Professor of Medicine and Director, AIDS Clinical Research Unit and co-Director of the Developmental Center for AIDS Research at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Fischl is renowned for her clinical achievements in the field of HIV/AIDS. Her pioneering efforts lead to AZT approval. She has more than 20 years of experience in directing a large, multidisciplinary HIV/AIDS research program that brings together faculty across multiple departments within the University and over 150 publications.