Jonathan Liu, MPH, an intern at the HIV Forum in 2015, was selected by the Division of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology of the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, as the 2016 recipient of the Sanford Elberg Award, an honor given to a public health student for the best Masters comprehensive paper.
Between 2015 and 2016, Jonathan conducted interviews with experts in the field of hepatitis B about the current state of novel therapies and curative interventions. He interviewed 25 stakeholders including representatives from academia, pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, regulators from the United States (FDA) and Europe (EMA), foundations, clinical researchers and representatives of affected populations."
Before beginning my internship with the Forum, what I knew about the burden of hepatitis B infection and disease came from one lecture. Upon reflection, I am thankful for the opportunity I had to explore the issue more thoroughly. As a Chinese-American, the effects and burden of hepatitis B strongly resonates with me and motivates me to work more in this area going forward,” recalls Jonathan.
Jonathan wrote his paper to help raise awareness about the disease and the state of the research towards a cure. His internship at the Forum allowed him to discover a new passion and he appreciates the mentorship received from everyone, in addition to the opportunities to explore several public health areas.
Jonathan is now working on transforming his Master’s thesis into an article for submission to a peer reviewed journal. His work was the basis for the development of the HBV Forum concept paper. The HBV Forum is a project that the Forum launched in 2016.
Jonathan, originally from Salt Lake City, will begin medical school at Creighton University this fall and intends to incorporate hepatitis B, infectious diseases, and public health into his career as a physician.
We congratulate Jonathan Liu for his accomplishments and devoted commitment to excellence on his time at the Forum and wish him the best on his future endeavors.
More on Sanford Elberg here: http://sph.berkeley.edu/sanford-samuel-sandy-elberg
