Dr. Anjali Sharma Named Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Physician Faculty Scholar:
Jun 16, 2009
To Study Link between Bone Loss and HIV
Brooklyn, NY - Anjali Sharma, MD, MS, assistant professor of medicine at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, has been awarded $300,000 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to study bone loss among adults with or at risk for HIV. Dr. Sharma is one of 20 scholars selected nationwide as members of the Class of 2012 in the RWJF Physician Scholars Program, which provides support to junior medical school faculty engaged in improving health care. Her three-year grant, which begins July 1, is the maximum awarded by the program.
Dr. Sharma is director of Adult Inpatient HIV Services and medical director of the Buprenorphine Clinic for the STAR Health Center, which provides clinical care and services for HIV-positive adults. Her project will examine changes in bone mineral density among drug using men and women with or at risk for HIV infection. By determining the relationship between markers of bone turnover and bone mineral density, she hopes to help predict and better prevent fractures in this high-risk population. She will also investigate the effect of opioid substitution therapy on bone mineral density.
Ian L. Taylor, MD, PhD, senior vice president for biomedical education and research and dean of the College of Medicine, congratulated Dr. Sharma, saying “You bring great credit to yourself, your mentors, and the school.”
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About SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn is one of four academic health centers (AMCs) in The State University of New York (SUNY) 64-campus system and the only SUNY AMC in New York City dedicated to health education, research, and patient care for the borough’s 2.7 million residents. Its flagship hospital, University Hospital at Downstate (UHD), is a teaching hospital and benefits from the expertise of Downstate’s exceptional medical school and world-class academic center research facilities. With a staff of over 800 physicians representing 53 specialties and subspecialties, Downstate offers comprehensive healthcare services to the community.
UHD provides high-risk neonatal and infant services, pediatric nephrology, and dialysis for kidney diseases and is the only kidney transplantation program in Brooklyn. Beyond its clinical expertise, Downstate houses a range of esteemed educational institutions, including its College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, School of Graduate Studies, and School of Public Health. Downstate fosters innovation through its multifaceted biotechnology initiative, the Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT, which support early-stage and more mature biotech companies.