In 2020, Cures Within Reach funded Dr. Aileen Chang at George Washington University to support a Phase I trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of an approved flu drug, zanamivir, for patients with severe dengue infections in Colombia. Dengue viruses are a leading cause of pediatric deaths in low and lower-middle income countries (LMICs), and currently are only treated with supportive care without any effective targeted interventions.
Dr. Chang has spent her career focused on infectious diseases in the Americas, pursuing both translational research and public health interventions. As a medical student in 2009, Dr. Chang was selected as Doris Duke Research Fellow, allowing her to train in Nicaragua where she helped implement a dengue fever surveillance system to optimize public health resources. She has since led research collaborations in Colombia to study outbreaks of Zika virus and Chikungunya virus, investigating disease mechanisms and working to improve diagnostic and treatment tools.
She is a recognized leader in global health equity, having received the Gold Humanism Award as a Columbia University medical student and the Jay Weiss Social Medicine and Health Equity Award as a University of Miami resident. Dr. Chang was recently named a Virginia Gray Scholar for repurposing medications for novel viral indications.
Dr. Chang brings an endless enthusiasm and passion for her career in medicine and public health – she is an advocate for global health equity, focusing on improving the lives of LMIC patients facing disproportionate burden of infections.
PROFILE: Dr. Aileen Chang is an expert on tropical infectious diseases. In addition to her appointment at George Washington University, she serves as Associate Director of the Dengue Relief Foundation.
CWR FUNDING: This $50,000 Phase I clinical trial is testing zanamivir, an approved flu drug, for patients with severe dengue fever in Colombia. Dr. Chang and this trial represent two of Cures Within Reach’s communities:
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Mid-Atlantic