Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit
Overview
The Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit (ID CRU) was founded in the fall of 2020 to facilitate cutting-edge clinical research within the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital.
The goals of the ID CRU are (1) to support investigators in the coordination and conduct of clinical trials within scientifically relevant areas of infectious diseases and (2) to provide training to infectious diseases fellows and faculty in clinical trials methodology, implementation, analysis, and interpretation.
Being embedded within the ID division at MGH, the ID CRU is uniquely positioned to take advantage of a wealth of clinical expertise and access to diverse patient populations. Indeed, the MGH Division of Infectious Diseases is the largest ID division in Massachusetts and ranks among the largest ID divisions in the US. The division currently has ~90 faculty and associated faculty members who, in addition to providing clinical care, conduct cutting-edge research. Members of the ID division have close to 50,000 patient contacts per year, including inpatient and outpatient consultations and follow-up visits. The outpatient clinic typically includes a busy Travel Advice and Immunization Clinic with over 10,000 administered vaccines per year. There are also over 3,000 visits per year to the MGH Sexual Health Clinic. The MGH ID Associates practice provides care for ~1,400 people living with HIV. The division’s research spans preventive immunization strategies against viral infections and gastrointestinal pathogens, bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents, novel classes of antimicrobial agents, and infections related to transplantation and other immunocompromising disorders, to mention only a few areas of investigational interest.
Staff
Boris Juelg, MD PhD (he/him/his) is the Director of the ID CRU and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He is also a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. Dr. Juelg aims to link preclinical and clinical studies to identify and test the most promising immunological strategies to prevent and treat infectious diseases. He is specifically interested in evaluating passive and active immunization approaches using broadly neutralizing antibodies and novel vaccine candidates. Dr. Juelg serves as principal investigator on multiple phase I/II clinical trials that are testing such concepts and translating findings from the lab into the clinic. He is the Associate Director of the Harvard Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) clinical core and a member of the MGH Committee for Clinical Research.
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Arthur Kim, MD (he/him/his) is the Co-Director of the ID CRU and Director of the Viral Hepatitis Clinic in the Division of Infectious Diseases at MGH and Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He received his medical degree at Harvard Medical School and trained in internal medicine at MGH and infectious diseases at MGH/Brigham and Women's Hospital. He has a longstanding clinical and research interest in those living with viral hepatitis, particularly in special populations such as acute infection, prisoners, post-transplantation, and HIV co-infection. He is currently serving on the panel for the Department of Health and Human Services Guidelines for the Use of Antiretroviral Agents in Adults and Adolescents Living with HIV. He is the divisional and departmental lead of the COVID-19 Treatment Guidance for inpatients and a panel member of the COVID-19 National Institutes of Health Treatment Guidelines.
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Diane Kanjilal, FNP-BC (she/her/hers) is the Clinical Research Nurse Manager of the ID CRU. Diane’s nursing career began at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, where she worked in the pediatric intensive care unit, outpatient primary care clinics, and served as a clinical research nurse coordinator within the division of pediatric allergy and immunology. In 2016, she joined Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research, working closely with Boris Juelg. She has coordinated multiple clinical trials focusing on HIV vaccines and treatments, Zika vaccines, and treatments for COVID-19. Diane is particularly passionate about the recruitment of under-served populations into clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.
Winna Koe Mowenn, RN, MPH (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Research Nurse at the ID CRU. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Psychology from the University of Scranton. In 2022, Winna received her MPH from La Salle University. Winna has always been passionate about treating infectious diseases since her childhood in Liberia, where many residents suffered from malaria. Her passion has been strengthened by her previous experiences working as a progressive-care and travel nurse, including in New York City during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has primarily conducted research in harm-reduction. Winna hopes to help with the development of innovative therapies via clinical research to treat infectious diseases and contribute to improving health equity, especially for patients from disadvantaged and minority populations.
Taing Nandi Aung, MS (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Project Manager at ID CRU and Clinical Research Coordinator/Research Assistant at the Medical Practice Evaluation Center (MPEC). Originating from Myanmar (Burma), Taing graduated from Brown University in May 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with a master’s degree in Clinical Research in 2021. Taing joined ID CRU in 2022 and works primarily on the RECOVER Study on Long COVID. At MPEC, Taing supports HIV/AIDS studies based in South Africa and Uganda led by Drs. Ingrid Bassett, Suzanne McCluskey, and Jennifer Manne-Goehler.
Brittany Archie (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Research Coordinator in the ID CRU. Brittany earned her Bachelor of Science in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology in 2022 from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Before joining the ID CRU, she studied peptide crystallization, kinetic properties, toxicity, and structure of mutated amyloid beta species in undergraduate and post-graduate Alzheimer's research. She served the students of UCSC as an HIV test counselor and sexual health educator, strengthening her desire to contribute to the work to make medicine and reproductive health care more equitable. Motivated by this, de-stigmatizing sexual health and improving minority maternal health outcomes, she plans to pursue medical school after her time at MGH to become an OB/GYN.
Gillian Buckner (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ID CRU. Gillian graduated in 2023 from Williams College, earning her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with a concentration in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. At Williams College, she studied sexual health and the use of contraceptives by college students. Gillian is passionate about community health and centering equity to reduce disparities in healthcare outcomes. After her work at MGH, she hopes to pursue a master's in Public Health.
Francesca Caramazza (she/her/hers) works as a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ID CRU. Francesca graduated from Bryn Mawr College in May 2020 with her Bachelor's degree in Political Science and a minor in health studies. She has primarily conducted research focused on Harm Reduction and Harm Reduction Policy. She is committed to improving accessibility to healthcare and health services for all communities. Francesca plans to earn a Master's in Public Health after her work at MGH.
Sarah Flannery (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ID CRU. Sarah graduated from Indiana University in December 2021 with a degree in Neuroscience. She has a background conducting comparative cognition research pertaining to episodic memory as well as facilitating workshops about consent communication and bystander intervention. Sarah is passionate about working towards eliminating health disparities, and she hopes to continue that mission as a physician associate after her time at MGH.
Mabelin Garcia (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ID CRU. Originating from The Bronx, NY, Mabelin earned her Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Economics from St. Lawrence University in May 2022. Previously she served her college campus as an Emergency Medical Technician and has conducted research in the fields of addiction and public health. She's interested in working towards understanding and eliminating disparities in healthcare and hopes to do this in the future as a physician associate.
Colin Goodbred (he/him/his) serves as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the ID CRU and graduated with his Bachelor’s degree in Quantitative Social Science from Dartmouth College in June 2021. He has conducted interdisciplinary research in a wide array of science and policy-related fields, including genetic engineering for biofuels, video-based mental health treatments, and Indigenous access to endangered animals. Colin is eager to coordinate clinical research studies to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious diseases in an equitable and just manner, before potentially pursuing a career in nursing.
Sadia Laisa (she/her/hers) is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ID CRU. Sadia graduated from Harvard College in May 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in Molecular and Cellular Biology with a secondary in Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights. Previously she was an undergraduate researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital's Cancer Center, where she studied the epigenetic regulation of translation in chemotherapy-resistant Leukemia cells, culminating in a senior thesis that received the highest honors in the department. She is passionate about increasing healthcare access to vulnerable communities globally and hopes to work towards this goal as a physician in the future.
Valeria Magallan (she/her/hers) works as a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ID CRU and Research Assistant in MGH Core Laboratory for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation. Originally from Texas, Valeria graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine in 2019 earning her bachelor’s in Asian Studies. In college, she performed interdisciplinary research on the role of ‘traditional medicine’ amidst Japan’s modernization period. She enjoys learning about cultures and their different approaches to health and medicine and hopes to pursue a career in healthcare in the future.
Kristin Meader (she/her/hers) works as a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ID CRU. Kristin graduated from Simmons University in December 2021, where she studied public health and political science. Previously, she has done research on healthcare access in the Boston area, worked in legislative offices, and spent time as an environmental organizer. She has a strong interest in improving health equity and working to reduce healthcare disparities and is excited to incorporate this passion into the work she does at MGH. In the future, she plans to continue with further education and pursue a career in health policy.
Daniel Pacella (he/him/his) works as a Clinical Research Coordinator with the ID CRU. Dan graduated from Boston College in 2022 with degrees in Biology and Sociology. As an undergraduate, he conducted independent research on mammalian cell signaling and characterized a set of compounds that are potentially favorable for drug development. He is passionate about equity and justice in the context of public health, in areas such as access to quality healthcare, the process of education and knowledge-dissemination, and systemic/procedural barriers to inclusion in treatment. As a CRC, Dan hopes to learn and become skilled at conducting healthcare and scientific practices in ways that effectively serve those historically overlooked, before pursuing a career in medicine and research.
Affiliated Faculty
Rajesh Gandhi, MD is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and the Director of HIV Clinical Services and Education at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Dr. Gandhi is the site leader of the MGH AIDS Clinical Research Site in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). He is also the Co-Director of the Harvard University Center for AIDS Research (CFAR). Dr. Gandhi is a member of the NIH Covid-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Covid-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel. He is also a scientific member of the Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents, and the International Antiviral Society-USA Panel on Antiretroviral Drugs for Treatment and Prevention of HIV in Adults. Dr. Gandhi is a Deputy Editor of NEJM Journal Watch Infectious Diseases and NEJM Journal Watch HIV/AIDS. Dr. Gandhi graduated from Harvard Medical School, completed his medical residency and chief residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and his infectious diseases fellowship training at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
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Elizabeth “Libby” Hohmann, MD is Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and has been at MGH since 1990. She is an expert on intestinal infections especially Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and C. difficile. Her interests include clinical and translational research and she has significant experience with live attenuated bacterial vaccines and vaccine vectors. She has a special interest in “first in human” studies, particularly those involving human challenge studies and live organisms. She also has expertise in ethical and regulatory oversight of clinical research, having served as an IRB chair for 25 years. She directs the MGH Core Laboratory for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and leads research looking at modification of the gastrointestinal microbiome in infectious, metabolic and inflammatory conditions. Dr. Hohmann has recently served as the MGH PI for the NIH-sponsored ACTT studies which have evaluated therapies for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, using rigorous double-blinded designs.
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