Muktar Aliyu, MBBS, DrPH, MPH is a tenured full professor of Medicine / Health policy at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, and Director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health, one of the world’s leading global health institutes. His scholarly work includes over 300 peer-reviewed publications (h-index:52) focused on the intersection of infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS and maternal-child health. His work has contributed to generating important new knowledge on approaches to strengthening public health systems through high quality and sustainable maternal-child health services in resource- constrained settings.
A prominent figure in global health, Prof. Aliyu has led transformative initiatives, including Vanderbilt’s Nigeria HIV program-a US$15 million effort that provided HIV testing for 171,000 individuals, prevention services for 80,300 pregnant women, and antiretroviral therapy to over 13,600 Nigerians. He also spearheaded the establishment of over a dozen NIH-funded research and training grants at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and Bayero University in Nigeria. These include implementation of science studies to improve outcomes for HIV-positive mothers and infants, trials addressing stroke in sickle cell disease, and research on kidney disease in people with HIV. His programs have built research capacity for over 200 Nigerian Scholars through fellowships, seminars, and training in Nigeria and the US.
Prof Aliyu has served on over 20 U.S. scientific review panels, is a reviewer for 18 journals, and sits on the editorial board of five major journals. He is a member of the Lancet- Nigeria Commission and an elected member of the American society for Clinical investigation. His many accolades include the 2024 Nigeria National Diaspora Merit Award, the Mayo Foundation Summer skill Award, the University of Alabama- Birmingham Alumnus Award, and the American College of Preventive Medicine’s Kane Award/ prof. Aliyu’s intellect, leadership, and contributions to global health and academia make him an ideal candidate for fellowship in our academy.