Dr. Jon Salmanton-García is a researcher specializing in infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients, with a particular focus on respiratory viral infections in hematology and fungal diseases. He holds a PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Cologne and has published numerous scientific articles while presenting his work at national and international congresses. He serves as the scientific coordinator of the EPICOVIDEHA registry, which investigates respiratory viral infections in hematological patients, and leads the Diagnostic and Treatment Capacity of Invasive Fungal Infections initiative. Additionally, he has held leadership roles in European medical associations, contributing to advances in infection management for vulnerable populations.

Amesika Nyaku, MD MS is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a physician-scientist. She provides clinical care for people living with HIV or other infectious diseases and substance use disorders. Her research interests lie at the intersection of HIV and substance use disorders. She focuses on 1) evaluating long-acting therapeutics for HIV and opioid use disorder, 2) the implementation of integrated care models for HIV and substance use disorders to improve health outcomes, and 3) increasing the inclusion and participation of racial/ethnic minorities in clinical trials research. She is also co-director of the Northern New Jersey Medication-Assisted Treatment Center of Excellence that is tasked with assisting the state in expanding access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder through education, novel service delivery and community collaboration.

Dr Olivia Van Gerwen completed her internal medicine residency and chief residency at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. She returned to her hometown of Birmingham, AL to pursue a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at UAB, which she completed in 2020 in addition to a post-doctoral fellowship in health services, outcomes, and effectiveness research. She is now an Assistant Professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Division of Infectious Diseases. Olivia’s research focuses on HIV and STI prevention as well as comprehensive sexual health promotion among LGBTQ+ populations. Clinically, she enjoys providing sexual healthcare services to patients at the UAB Gender Health clinic, patients living with HIV at the UAB 1917 Clinic and is the Assistant Medical Director at the UAB Vaginitis Clinic.

Dr Louis J Picker is currently the Associate Director of the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, a Senior Scientist in the Pathobiology and Immunology Division of the Oregon National Primate Research Center, and a Professor in the Oregon Health & Science University’s Departments of Pathology and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.  Dr Picker was recruited to OHSU in 2000 from the Department of Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas where he served as a Principal Investigator, Medical Director of the Flow Cytometry and Clinical Immunology Laboratory, and Co-Director of the Division of Hematopathology and Immunology.  He received his medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco in 1982, did an internship, residency, and chief residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts from 1982-86, and received advanced training in Immunopathology and Experimental Pathology at Stanford University Medical Center in Palo Alto, California from 1986-89.  Dr Picker is known for his work elucidating human/nonhuman primate (NHP) memory T cell biology, T cell mediated mechanisms of protection against persistent pathogens, the immunopathogenesis of AIDS and tuberculosis, and HIV and TB vaccine development.