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Phyllis Kanki
 Dr. Phyllis Kanki is a Professor of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Harvard School of Public Health, and a member of the HAI Faculty Advisory Committee.
Dr. Kanki's research provided the first evidence of the retrovirus in West Africa that came to be called HIV-2. This finding demonstrated both that HIV-2 remains closer to the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) than to HIV-1, but also that HIV-2 held a higher prevalence in West Africa, although HIV-1 has recently begun to emerge there. In her research in Senegal, Dr. Kanki found that HIV-1 is more than ten times as likely to develop into AIDS. In this research, she also focused further efforts into exploring viral mechanisms for the differences in observed biology between HIV-2 and HIV-1, finding that HIV-2 is less likely to be transmitted as HIV-1 by both perinatal and heterosexual routes.
Building on the successes of prevention methods in Senegal, Dr. Kanki now leads a collaborative program, the AIDS Prevention Initiative in Nigeria (APIN), that bases itself on the Senegalese model. This Initiative draws on the strength of the Harvard School of Public Health, the Harvard Center for International Development, and the Nigerian Advisory Council, a group composed of representatives of Nigeria’s National Assembly and Ministry of Health. Funded by a $25 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Kanki leads this program to develop effective prevention methods for the Nigerian population.
Serving on a number of committees and editorial boards both internationally and domestically, Dr. Kanki has also authored a number of publications, including serving as an editor of the first and second editions of AIDS in Africa. Dr. Kanki holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Minnesota and a doctorate of science in virology from Harvard University. She is presently a contributor and editor to the forthcoming book AIDS In Africa, 2nd Edition.
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