| Elaine Abrams | |
| Birth Place: | Brooklyn, New York |
| Nationality: | American |
| Fields: | Epidemiology |
| Workplaces: | Columbia University Harlem Hospital Center |
| Alma Mater: | Princeton University Columbia University James Madison High School (Brooklyn) |
Elaine Abrams is an American physician, epidemiologist and professor of epidemiology at Columbia University. She looks to optimise the treatment of people living with HIV and prevent illness amongst children. She is a founding member of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Program (ICAP) at Columbia.
Abrams grew up in Brooklyn.[1] Her mother was a Holocaust survivor. She was an undergraduate student at Princeton University. She was a medical student at Columbia University. She completed her specialty training at the Harlem Hospital Center. She was working in New York during the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic, and established the Harlem Hospital Centre Family Care Center in 1989. The Centre was founded to respond to epidemic of HIV infection in young people in New York City. During this time she became a fierce advocate for women's health.
Abrams works on the prevention and treatment of HIV infection in perinatal and paediatric populations. She serves as a Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University. She has designed and studied antiretroviral treatment (ART) campaigns for women pre- and post-partum, and studied the risks of vertical transmission. Her research identified the environmental and biomedical facts that influenced ART efficacy.[2]
Abrmas chaired the World Health Organization consolidation guidelines for the use of ART, including guidelines for dolutegravir/lamivudine/tenofovir.[3] In this capacity she was responsible for transforming access to HIV treatment.[4]
Abrams is a founding member of the Columbia University International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Program (ICAP). With ICAP Abrams has looked to scale-up HIV services across developing countries, including improving the lives of children. She created various programmes that look to prevent HIV infections amongst children, including Positive Voices, EID Manual and PMTCT toolkit. Her work at ICAP was supported by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPfAR), which supported her efforts to provide technical assistance to the global south.