Gisle Umviligihozo

Gisele Umviligihozo, a Rwandan virologist, earned her PhD in Health Sciences from Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Canada and a PG cert. in Infectious Diseases from the University of London, UK. She is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Center for health research in Zambia and the Emory Vaccine Center at Emory University, USA. Umviligihozo’s fascination with the diversity of living organisms ignited her passion for science and health research from a young age. She has great interest in understanding the dynamics of HIV transmission, evolution, and control of the virus within African populations and beyond. Throughout her career, her scientific contributions have centred on understanding correlates of HIV susceptibility, pathogenesis, and disease progression among Heterosexual couples and key population groups. Her doctoral research investigated the genetic and functional diversity of natural HIV-1 Nef and Vpu isolates among African long-term non-progressors (LTNPs) and chronic progressors. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she expanded her research to SARS COV-2 with a primary focus on assessing the immune response to COVID-19 vaccines in various populations, particularly in people living with HIV. Presently, Umviligihozo’s research focuses on deciphering the impact of sex on immune cell activation, nature of the HIV reservoir, and reactivation in the presence or absence of sex hormones in ART-suppressed people living with HIV. This work aims to advance knowledge on the evolution and control of HIV-1 infection, with the potential to inform the design of an HIV-1 vaccine and novel therapies.