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Mark W. Kline, MD, Program Director

Mark KlineDr. Kline is professor of pediatrics, chief of Retrovirology, director of the AIDS International Training and Research Program, and director of the Baylor-CDC Global AIDS Technical Assistance Project, all at Baylor College of Medicine. He also serves as President of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative. Dr. Kline is a graduate of Trinity University and the Baylor College of Medicine. He trained in pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine, where he also served as Chief Resident. Dr. Kline is board-certified in pediatrics and infectious diseases. He has served on the Executive Committee for Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and as chair of that organization's Committee on Pediatric AIDS. He is a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a member of the Society for Pediatric Research and the American Pediatric Society.

Dr. Kline is active in the education and training of medical students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows, and has been the recipient of several teaching awards. He has authored over 240 scientific papers and textbook chapters. He has given over 300 national and international presentations on topics in pediatric infectious diseases.

 

Nancy Calles

Nancy R. Calles, RN, MSN, PNP, ACRN

Ms. Calles is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Ms. Calles holds a Master of Nursing, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner degree and a Master in Public Health from the University of Texas. She is an AIDS Certified Registered Nurse with over 18 years of experience in pediatric AIDS clinical care, education, and research. Ms. Calles serves as BIPAI's Vice President for International Program Development. She has coordinated and participated in local and international training programs including in several countries in Africa, Russia, Ukraine, China, Kyrgyzstan, Honduras, and Mexico. She is the 2005 recipient of the National Nursing Excellence Award for Teaching. Ms. Calles is an active member of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care and serves as the Nominations Chair of the HIV/AIDS Nursing Certification Board of Directors.

 

Kristin Close

Kristin Close, LMSW

Ms. Close is a graduate of Texas A&M University, and earned her Master of Social Work degree from Boston College. Kristin has worked with HIV+ children and families for over 5 years. In addition to her work with families and adolescents dealing with chronic illness, Ms. Close has also been trained in pediatric grief and bereavement. She has actively worked with camps for children with special needs for 13 years. She has helped facilitate the opening of local camp programs at each of BIPAI's Centers of Excellence.

 

Kathleen Ferrer, MD

Kathleen Ferrer, MD

Dr. Ferrer is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine. A graduate of Brown University, she earned her medical degree at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed a combined residency in internal medicine and pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Her interests include HIV/AIDS care and international medicine.

 

Susan Gillepie, MD, PhD

Susan Gillepie, MD, PhD

Dr. Gillespie is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine. A graduate of Northwestern University, she completed her medical and graduate school training at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and her pediatric residency training at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Her interests include medical education, international adoptions and pediatric HIV/AIDS.

 

Cosmina Gingaras, MD

Cosmina Gingaras, MD

Dr. Gingaras is an AITRP fellow from Romania. Prior to joining the program, she obtained her degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy 'Carol Davila', Bucharest and served for a short period as a resident in infectious diseases at the Hospital of Infectious and Tropical Diseases "Dr. Victor Babes" in Bucharest, working with HIV/AIDS infected children. She is currently involved in an HIV laboratory research project under the mentorship of Dr Jason Kimata, M.D., PhD. She intends to apply to the University of Texas School of Public Health, with a major in Biostatistics. Upon completion of the program, Dr Gingaras plans to become involved in clinical research in the HIV/AIDS field, in close collaboration with the Center of HIV Excellence at the National Institute of Virology "St. S. Nicolau" in Bucharest.

 

Meg Gwynne Ferris

Meg Gwynne Ferris, PhD, MPH

Dr. Ferris is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Ferris holds a Master of Public Health degree from George Washington University, with a concentration in health promotion and disease prevention, and a PhD in public health from the University of Texas, with a major in Behavioral Science. Dr. Ferris has over fifteen years experience in pediatric AIDS, and served for five of those years as a Clinical Trials Specialist for the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group. Dr. Ferris serves as BIPAI's Vice President for International Fellowships.

 

Mary S. Johnson, LVN II, Research Nurse

Mary S. Johnson, LVN II, Research Nurse

Mrs. Johnson serves as a nurse for the Retrovirology/ International Adoption clinical team. Mary earned her Pre-Nursing degree at Texas Southern University and her nursing license from Prairie View A&M University. Mrs. Johnson's clinical experience began at Texas Children's Hospital in 1991. For fifteen years she has served as an advocate for pediatric patients and families. Mary is the Graduate Advisor to the Gamma Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. located at Texas Southern University, where she serves as a mentor to college trained women who are committed to serving the community and all mankind.

 

David Jones

David Jones

David Jones is a vice president of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Corps with primary responsibility for the international operations of the Pediatric AIDS Corps.

A graduate of the University of Alaska, Jones has served as a cryptologist and aviator in the US Army, and worked as a public affairs manager for Marion Laboratories, the CIBA-GIEGY US Pharmaceutical Division and Abbott Laboratories. Prior to joining Baylor College of Medicine in November 2005 he worked for the University of North Carolina School of Medicine as a development manager in Chapel Hill, and in Lilongwe, Malawi as Manager of Administration and Development for the UNC clinical research program based in Malawi. Jones is based in Malawi, where he has lived for five years.

 

Joe Kanewske

Joe Kanewske

Joe Kanewske is the Financial Analyst for the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative. Joe is a graduate of Texas A&M University, and has seven years experience in the healthcare field related to finance, grants and contracts, and project management.

 

Susan Kelly, MPH

Susan Kelly, MPH

Ms. Kelly has over nine years of experience writing and organizing clinical trials for HIV therapeutics for the Adult AIDS Clinical Trials Group of the National Institutes of Health. Her Masters degree is in Global Health from the George Washington University. Ms. Kelly is living in Kampala, Uganda, supporting BIPAI's work with the CDC-funded Global AIDS Program.

 

Nsangi Betty Kintu, MBChB, MPH

Nsangi Betty Kintu, MBChB, MPH

Dr. Nsangi is an AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP) fellow with Baylor College of Medicine. She is originally from Kampala, Uganda. She began her training at the University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston Texas in January 2006. She completed her Masters of Public Health degree with special emphasis in Epidemiology and Global Health. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in Epidemiology at the same University. Prior to joining the program, she worked as a medical officer in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinic (PIDC), Mulago Hospital, Kampala, Uganda for two and half years where she treated and cared for HIV infected children. Upon completion of her training, she plans to get actively involved in pediatric HIV clinical research with and in the management of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Clinic as well as pediatric HIV in general in Uganda. In particular, she is interested in improving the management of TB in HIV-infected children. She looks forward to contributing greatly to the national and regional expansion of pediatric HIV services. Her long term goal is to help in improving the status of HIV infected children and HIV orphans on the African continent.

 

Marape Marape, MB, BCh, BAO, BA

Marape Marape, MB, BCh, BAO, BA

Dr. Marape is an AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP) fellow from Gaborone, Botswana, who joined the AITRP in August, 2007. He currently is pursuing a Masters in Public Health, with special emphasis in Epidemiology at the University of Texas School of Public Health. Before joining the AITRP fellowship program he worked as a Medical Officer at the Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Centre of Excellence for two and a half years. His work was focused on the management of HIV/AIDS and related conditions in children and families. He was also involved in clinical mentoring, research and education. Dr. Marape's main interest lies in tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS coinfection, especially in children and adolescents. After completion of his training he plans to retrun to Botswana to continue looking after HIV/AIDS infected children and doing research in tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

 

Ann R. McMeans

Ann R. McMeans, MS, RD, LD

Ms. McMeans is a Senior Dietitian in Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital. Ms. McMeans holds a Master of Science degree in nutrition and has eighteen years of experience in nutrition/dietetics. For the last seven years Ms. McMeans has specialized in pediatric nutrition with a special interest in nutrition and pediatric HIV/AIDS.

 

Michael B. Mizwa

Michael B. Mizwa

Michael Mizwa, BIPAI Vice President for International Affairs, has over 22 years experience in HIV/AIDS prevention and social services and extensive experience across Africa in pediatric HIV/AIDS program development, administration and management, human resources development and government relations. Mr. Mizwa is the Board of Directors Vice Chairman of BIPAI NGOs in Romania, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Malawi, Uganda, Burkina Faso and Tanzania. He has provided over 50 local, regional, national, and international conference presentations specific to HIV-prevention and care of at-risk populations as well as organizational development and public-private partnerships. In addition, Mr. Mizwa has received numerous local, state, and national awards in HIV prevention and leadership, including the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention's Price Fellowship in HIV Prevention Leadership.

 

Edith Q. Mohapi, MB;BS, FAAP

Edith Q. Mohapi, MB;BS, FAAP

Dr. Mohapi attended medical school at the Royal Free Hospital, London University, United Kingdom. She completed residency in Pediatrics at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C. She has worked for twenty years as a pediatrician and a member of the teaching staff of Georgetown University Hospital. She also worked from 1997-2000 at the Pretoria Academic Hospital in South Africa. Dr. Mohapi is originally from Lesotho, and works as the Director of BIPAI's Children's Clinical Center of Excellence in Maseru, Lesotho.

 

Elizabeth Montgomery, M.D., M.P.H.

Elizabeth Montgomery, M.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Montgomery is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics of Baylor College of Medicine. She is a graduate of University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She also holds a M.P.H. degree from Saint Louis University.

Previously, Dr. Montgomery served as the Director of the Medicine Abroad Program for residents, Director of the Foreign Adoption Clinic, and Director of pediatric volunteers and the resident rotation at La Clinica Latino Community Health Center for Saint Louis University. She was responsible for bringing pediatric residents from Haiti to Saint Louis University for observerships for the AAP's Haiti Initiative, and was elected to the Executive Committee of the AAP's Section of International Child Health. She has participated in medical trips to Malawi, Peru, Romania, Moldova, and the Dominican Republic.

 

B. Ryan Phelps, MD, MPH

B. Ryan Phelps, MD, MPH

Dr. Phelps is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the Duke University School of Medicine. He trained in pediatrics at the University of California at San Francisco. He holds a degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Phelps has worked previously in Mexico, Brazil, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Mozambique, and South Africa. He is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. Dr. Phelps served as a Pediatric AIDS Corps physician in Swaziland from August, 2006 through January, 2008, when he left the PAC to accept a position as the Associate Director of the Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Center of Excellence.

 

Gordon E. Schutze, MD

Gordon E. Schutze, MD

Gordon E. Schutze, MD has been a Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine since June 2006.

Prior to joining Baylor, he was Professor of Pediatrics and Pathology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences working at Arkansas Children's Hospital from 1991-2006. A graduate of St. Mary's University, Dr. Schutze earned his medical degree from Texas Tech University and completed a pediatric residency and a pediatric infectious diseases fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. While in Arkansas he served in many capacities including the Pediatric Residency Director, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Subspecialty Residency Director, Clinical Director of the Microbiology/Virology laboratories, and as Chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

The American Board of Pediatrics in both General Pediatrics and Pediatric Infectious Diseases certifies Dr. Schutze. He is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and serves as an editor for the Pediatrics Review and Educational Program (PREP) Infectious Diseases Advisory Board. He is also active in the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society, the Society for Pediatric Research and the Infectious Disease Society of America. His special interests in medicine have been bacterial and tick associated diseases as well as the teaching of pediatrics to others. Dr. Schutze serves as BIPAI's Vice President for International Medical Services.

 

Heidi Schwarzwald

Heidi Schwarzwald, MD , MPH

Dr. Schwarzwald is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine. A graduate of Harvard University, Dr. Schwarzwald earned her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Schwarzwald has completed pediatric residency at Baylor College of Medicine, and has a Masters Degree in Public Health from the University of Texas. She also completed a post-doctoral fellowship for clinical research in HIV/AIDS. She is the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship for research among HIV-infected children in Botswana. Dr. Schwarzwald was awarded the Fulbright & Jaworski Faculty Excellence Award for Development of Enduring Educational Materials in 2007. Dr. Schwarzwald serves as BIPAI's Vice President for Clinical Affairs.

 

Moorine P. Sekadde, MBChB

Moorine P. Sekadde, MBChB

Dr. Sekadde is an Aids International Training Research Program (AITRP) fellow from Kampala, Uganda, who joined the AITRP in August, 2007. She currently is pursuing a Masters in Public Health degree at the University Of Texas School Of Public Health with a major in epidemiology. Before joining the AITRP fellowship program, she worked with Baylor College of Medicine Children's Foundation Uganda (formerly Pediatric Infectious Diseases Clinic). Dr. Sekadde's interest is the care and treatment of pediatric HIV/AIDS, which she plans to continue upon completion of the program.

 

Sharmane Knight Stewart

Sharmane Knight Stewart

Ms. Stewart is the Administrative Manager for the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative and the Texas Children's International Adoption Clinic. She has over fifteen years experience in Administrative and Support services in the healthcare environment, beginning at Baylor College of Medicine in 1992. She oversees the day to day administrative operations and all support services.

 

Michael A. Tolle, MD, MPH

Michael A. Tolle, MD, MPH

Dr. Tolle is Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the Baylor College of Medicine. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, Dr. Tolle earned his medical degree from the University of Texas - Southwestern Medical School. After an internship in internal medicine at Barnes Hospital (Washington University) in St. Louis, Dr. Tolle completed family medicine residence training at Parkland Hospital (UT-Southwestern), where he served as Chief Resident. He also holds a Master of Public Health degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Certificate in Travel Health from the International Society of Travel Medicine. Dr. Tolle has worked previously throughout Central and South America, as well as in Haiti and the Balkans, and is a fluent Spanish speaker. Dr. Tolle was a member of BIPAI's inaugural Pediatric AIDS Corps class, serving a year in Lesotho prior to joining the Houston team. His interests include prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and the development of family-centered models of care in resource-limited settings.

 

R. Sebastian Wanless, MD, PhD

R. Sebastian Wanless, MD, PhD

Dr. Richard Sebastian Wanless is V.P. of Research and Program Evaluation for BIPAI and Medical Director of the Baylor Black Sea Foundation in Romania. For five years before his appointment with Baylor, he worked as Senior Medical Director for the Bristol-Myers Squibb funded Secure the Future program, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to that he worked for 16 years in clinical research at Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Dr. Wanless was born in Scotland and earned his MD at the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in physiology from the University of London. He now lives in Constanta, Romania with his wife Tamara.

 

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Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative
Last Updated: January 5, 2009
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