Rochelle Walensky, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Associate Director
Program in Epidemiology and Outcomes
Center for AIDS Research
Harvard Medical School
Associate Physician Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, MA

Website: http://web2.research.partners.org/cepac/

Research Topics

• HIV screening
• Test and treat
• When to start antiretroviral therapy
• CD4+ cell and HIV RNA monitoring
• Cost-effectiveness analyses

Lecture and Writing Topics

• HIV screening
• Clinical and cost-effectiveness of HIV care in the US and internationally
• When to start antiretroviral therapy
• CD4+ cell and HIV RNA monitoring
  

Current Professional Summary

Dr Walensky is Associate Director of the Program in Epidemiology and Outcomes Research at the Harvard Center for AIDS Research. Her research interests include the promotion of routine HIV counseling, testing and referral, and the economic evaluation of alternative HIV testing and treatment policies. Dr Walensky has published work on the impact of routine HIV screening, on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of HIV vaccines of varying efficacies, and on the value of primary genotypic resistance testing. Her research is conducted both in the US and abroad. Current projects include: 1) a clinical trial on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of routine HIV testing in an emergency department setting; 2) the years of life saved associated with ART in South Africa; 3) the development of and HIV testing program in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; and 4) a cost-effectiveness analysis on routine HIV testing in South Africa. She is practicing physician in infectious diseases at Brigham and Women's and Massachusetts General Hospital.

Committees and Organizations

• World Health Organization Antiretroviral Guidelines Committee (2009)
• National Institutes of Health Office of AIDS Research Natural History and Epidemiology Planning Group (2012)
• Harvard Medical Joint Committee on the Status of Women
  

Honors and Awards

• Edward H. Kass Award for Clinical Excellence, Massachusetts Infectious Diseases Society (2000)
• Maxwell Finland Award for Research Excellence, Massachusetts Infectious Diseases Society (2002)
• HIVMA Emerging Leader in HIV Research Award (2008)
• Harvard Medical School Young Mentor Award (2010)
  

Education

• Washington University in St Louis, AB Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1987-1991)
• Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, MD (1991-1995)
• Harvard School of Public Health, MPH (1999-2001)
  

Selected Publications

1. Walensky RP, Paltiel AD, Losina E, Mercincavage LM, Schackman BR, Sax PE, Weinstein MC, Freedberg KA. The survival benefit of AIDS treatment in the United States. J Infect Dis. 2006;194:11-19.
   
2. Paltiel AD, Weinstein MC, Kimmel AD, Seage GR, Losina E, Zhang H, Freedberg KA, Walensky RP. Expanded HIV screening in the United States – a cost-effectiveness analysis. N Eng J Med. 2005;352:586-595.
3. Paltiel AD, Walensky RP, Schackman BR, Seage GR, Mercincavage LM, Weinstein MC, Freedberg KA. Expanded HIV Screening in the United States: effect on clinical outcomes, HIV transmission, and costs. Ann Intern Med. 2006;145:797-806.
4. Walensky RP, Wood R, Weinstein MC, Martinson NA, Losina E, Fofana M, Goldie SJ, Divi N, Yazdanpanah Y, Wang B, Paltiel AD, Freedberg KA. Scaling up antiretroviral therapy in South Africa: the impact of speed on survival. J Infect Dis. 2008;197:1324-1332.
5. Goldie SJ, Yazdanpanah Y, Losina E, Weistein MC, Anglaret X, Walensky RP, Smith HE, Kimmel AD, Holmes CB, Kaplan JE, Freedberg KA. Cost-effectiveness of HIV treatment in resource-poor settings: the case of Côte d'Ivoire. N Engl J Med. 2006;355:1141-1153.
6. Walensky RP, Arbelaez C, Reichmann WM, Walls RM, Katz JN, Block BL, Dooley M, Hetland A, Kimmel S, Solomon J, Losina E. Revisiting expectations from rapid HIV tests in the emergency department. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:153-160.
7. Walensky RP, Wolf LL, Wood R, et al. When to start antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings. Ann Intern Med. 2009;151:157-166.
8. Walensky RP, Kuritzkes DR. The impact of PEPfAR beyond HIV and why it remains essential. Clin Infect Dis. 2010;50(2):272-275.
9. Losina E, Touré H, Uhler LM, Anglaret X, Paltiel AD, Balestre E, Walensky RP, Messou E, Weinstein MC, Dabis F, Freedberg KA. Cost-effectiveness of preventing loss to follow-up in HIV treatment programs: a Côte d'Ivoire appraisal. PLoS Med. 2009;6(10):e1000173.
10. Bassett IV, Walensky RP. Integrating HIV screening into routine health care in resource-limited settings. Clin Infect Dis. In press.