Benigno Rodríguez, MD, MSc
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Clinical Core Director, Center for AIDS Research
Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, OH

Research Topics

• Immunopathogenesis of HIV disease
• Observational data research in HIV

Lecture and Writing Topics

• Mechanisms and determinants of HIV disease progression
• Incomplete immune reconstitution after antiretroviral therapy
• Hepatitis coinfection in HIV

Current Professional Summary

Dr Rodríguez is a physician with formal training in infectious diseases and HIV medicine, as well as a Master’s degree in clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. Dr Rodríguez has extensive experience in the design, conduction, and analysis of observational data studies that address questions of HIV immunopathogenesis. He has been instrumental in developing various approaches to the analysis of basic science data to inform clinically relevant questions in the field of HIV and AIDS.

Dr Rodríguez has made major contributions to the field as Director of the Clinical Core for the Center for AIDS Research at Case Western Reserve University, including pivotal observations regarding the extent of variability in CD4+ cell decline rates explained by plasma viremia levels in chronic HIV infection. Dr Rodríguez is the site principal investigator for two massive collaborative cohort studies of HIV infection, the CFAR-sponsored Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) and the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA-ACCORD), which constitute two of the largest collaborations of this nature in the world, encompassing over 100,000 patients.

Dr Rodríguez is a member of the Inflammation and End-Organ Disease Transformative Science Group of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), and is an investigator or protocol chair for several active ACTG protocols. Dr Rodriguez also leads research on the clinical outcomes of antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa through the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and is a recognized expert in the role of coinfections with flaviviruses in HIV infection.

Committees and Organizations

• Member, Inflammation and End-Organ Disease Transformative Science Group of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) (2011-present)
• Fellow, Infectious Diseases Society of America (2010)
• Member, HIV Medicine Association
• Member, International AIDS Society

Honors and Awards

• HIV Medicine Association Emerging Leadership in Research Award (2009)
• Grand Cross of Bastidas, Colombia (Highest civilian honor in the state) (2008)
• John T. Carey Young Investigator Award, AIDS Clinical Trials Group (2008)

Education

• Javeriana University School of Medicine, MD (1990)
• San Ignacio University Hospital, Javeriana University School of Medicine, Specialist, Internal Medicine (1995)
• University of Valencia, Master's Degree, Tropical and Parasitic Diseases (1996)
• Gorgas Memorial Institute, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Institute of Tropical Medicine, “Cayetano Heredia” Peruvian University, Diploma in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (1997)
• Javeriana University, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, MSc, Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
• Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals of Cleveland, Fellowship, Infectious Diseases/HIV Medicine (2000-2004)

Selected Publications

1. Lederman MM, Calabrese L, Funderburg T, Clagett B, Medvik K, Bonilla H, Gripshover B, Salata RA, Taege A, Lisgaris MV, McComsey GA, Kirchner E, Baum J, Asaad R, Kalayjian RC, Sieg SF, Rodríguez B. Immunologic failure despite suppressive antiretroviral therapy related to activation and turnover of memory CD4 cells. J Infect Dis. 2011. [In print]
2. Mehlotra RK, Cheruvu VK, Blood Zikursh MJ, Benish RL, Lederman MM, Salata RA, Gripshover B, McComsey GA, Lisgaris MV, Fulton S, Subauste CS, Jurevic RJ, Guillemette C, Zimmerman PA, Rodríguez B. Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 -2459 genotype in patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy: race-specific influence on virologic success. J Infect Dis. 2011;204:291-298.
3. Rodríguez B, Bazdar DA, Funderburg N, et al. Frequencies of FoxP3+ naive T cells are related to both viral load and naive T cell proliferation responses in HIV disease. J Leukoc Biol. 2011. [Epub ahead of print]
4. Vernon LT, Babineau DC, Demko CA, Lederman MM, Wang X, Toossi Z, Weinberg A, Rodríguez B. A prospective cohort study of periodontal disease measures and cardiovascular disease markers in HIV-infected adults. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2011. [Epub ahead of print]
5. Rodríguez B, Valdez H, Lange CG, Asaad R, Medvik K, Sieg SF. In vitro naïve T cell proliferation failure predicts poor post-immunization responses to neoantigen, but not recall antigens, in HIV-infection. Clin Immunol. 2010;136:400-408.
6. Rodríguez B, Valdez H, Mijch A, et al. Statins blunt HAART-induced CD4 T-cell gains but have no long-term effect on virologic response to HAART. J Int Assoc Physicians AIDS Care (Chic). 2007;6:198-202.
7. Rodríguez B, Sethi AK, Cheruvu VK, et al. Predictive value of plasma HIV RNA level on rate of CD4 T-cell decline in untreated HIV infection. JAMA. 2006;296:1498-1506.
8. Rodríguez B, Lederman MM, Jiang W, et al. Interferon-alpha differentially rescues CD4 and CD8 T cells from apoptosis in HIV infection. AIDS. 2006;20:1379-1389.
9. Rodríguez B, Valdez H, Freimuth W, Butler T, Asaad R, Lederman MM. Plasma levels of B-lymphocyte stimulator increase with HIV disease progression. AIDS. 2003;17:1983-1985.
10. Rodríguez B, Woolley I, Lederman MM, Zdunek D, Hess G, Valdez H. Effect of GB virus C coinfection on response to antiretroviral treatment in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients. J Infect Dis. 2003;187:504-507.

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