Dr. Joris Hemelaar

Biography

Joris Hemelaar is an Associate Professor in the Medical Sciences Division at the University of Oxford, where he focuses on the implications of maternal HIV infection and antiretroviral therapy on adverse perinatal outcomes. His research includes the analysis of pregnancy cohorts and the synthesis of evidence to accurately estimate the global burden of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with maternal HIV infection. His work informs both international HIV treatment guidelines and UK pregnancy guidelines. He leads the Global HIV Molecular Epidemiology Collaboration, a significant international effort to study the global distribution of HIV-1 genetic variants, crucial for HIV vaccine development. Hemelaar conducts large international studies determining the spread of HIV-1 strains, essential for the design and testing of HIV vaccines. His interests span maternal cardiac disease, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for predicting adverse perinatal outcomes, and co-infections such as hepatitis C and B during pregnancy. Hemelaar obtained his BSc and MSc in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Leiden University, Netherlands, completed his DPhil in Molecular Immunology at the University of Oxford, and conducted post-doctoral research at Harvard Medical School. He has been recognized as a Fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and is a member of the British HIV Association's pregnancy guidelines committee.

Research Interests

Experience