Global Programs Lecture Series

The Global Impact of Virally-Mediated Cancers: Current Evidence and Ongoing Initiatives

• Speakers: Elizabeth Chiao, M.D., MPH and Eva Clark, M.D., Ph.D., CTropMed
• Date: May 12, 2026
• Time: 10 – 11 a.m. CST
• Virtual event: Teams Link

Join us for a conversation at the intersection of infectious diseases and oncology, featuring Dr. Elizabeth Chiao and Dr. Eva Clark. This presentation provides a global overview of HIV-associated and virally mediated cancers, highlighting key epidemiologic trends, underlying mechanisms, and disparities in burden across regions. It synthesizes current evidence on major oncogenic viruses, including HPV, EBV, HBV, and HHV-8, within the context of HIV infection, with attention to screening, prevention, and treatment challenges. The session also outlines ongoing and planned research initiatives, emphasizing efforts to address gaps in diagnosis, care delivery, and outcomes in resource-limited settings.

Biography: Dr. Chiao is a professor in the department of epidemiology and has a joint appointment in the department of general oncology.  She is board certified in both medical oncology and infectious diseases and she primarily treats patients with virally mediated cancers, and cancers in people with HIV (PWH) such as Kaposi Sarcoma and HPV-related pre-cancers. She is the chair of the solid tumor working group in the AIDS Malignancy (AMC), an NCI funded clinical trials consortium focused on providing access to clinical trials for PWH, and is a member of the Board of Scientific Advisors HIV and AIDs Malignancies subcommittee for the NCI.  In addition to her cancer prevention and treatment clinical trials research, she is the principal investigator of several NIH funded projects focused on cancer outcomes among people living with HIV in the U.S. and projects globally to improve cancer screening, treatment and outcomes for HPV and other virally mediated cancers. She has published over 175 scientific and review articles as well as multiple book chapters in both infectious disease and medical oncology textbooks.

Biography: Eva Clark, M.D., Ph.D., CTropMed, is an assistant professor of medicine (infectious diseases) and pediatrics (tropical medicine) at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston, Texas. She is a molecular epidemiologist whose research focuses on the epidemiologic, immunologic, and clinical consequences of tropical infectious diseases on the development of chronic diseases in underserved communities.

She serves as medical director of the Harris Health Tropical Medicine Clinic, director of clinical education at BCM's National School of Tropical Medicine, and director of the Adult Infectious Diseases Fellowship's Global Health track. She is also a co-leader of the US Chagas Disease Providers' Network. Her active research includes evaluating the impact of intestinal helminth infection on HPV risk in Peruvian women and developing screening and diagnostic tools for parasitic diseases such as neurocysticercosis and Chagas disease in at-risk US populations.