Katharine Bar

Dr. Katharine Bar is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, an adult HIV provider, and a translational physician-scientist studying novel approaches to HIV prevention and cure. Her molecular virology laboratory studies the basic mechanisms of virus transmission, pathogenesis and persistence of HIV-1 and other viruses within novel nonhuman primate (NHP) models and curated clinical cohorts. Her early work focused on delineating HIV transmission to inform prevention strategies. Her current research aims to elucidate the mechanisms of HIV persistence to inform therapy and cure strategies, by (i) characterizing the viral dynamics and host immune responses during virus suppression and treatment interruption, (ii) developing NHP models that faithfully recapitulate HIV-1 latency and rebound, and (iii) developing antibody-based interventions. At Penn, she leads the Center for AIDS Research’s Virus and Reservoirs Advanced Technology Core, which supports multiple investigators’ basic and translational HIV research. Through her leadership positions on clinical trials protocols and within the ACTG and HVTN, she is committed to driving tangible advances of basic science via experimental medicine and more advanced human clinical trials.