FilAm scientist Katherine Luzuriaga, who helped find a cure for HIV baby, among TIME’s most influential people

Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga. Photos by Elton Lugay

Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga. Photos by Elton Lugay

By Elton Lugay

One of two Filipinos who made this year’s TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World is Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga, a pediatric allergist and immunologist from the University of Massachusetts. She was part of the team that developed a cure for an HIV-positive infant.

The other awardee is Philippine President Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino. They were among the prominent and distinguished personalities who were honored at an April 23 awards ceremony at the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle. Aquino was not present.

“We consider this a great achievement,” Luzuriaga, speaking for her team, told The FilAm. “We’re very honored and actually very humbled to be among the ranks of these individuals that have been chosen.”

Later, she asked me, “Pilipino ka ba? Darating ba si presidente?”

Luzuriaga, who is also a professor of pediatrics and medicine, said her team is honored “to have our work considered to be of great influence. To a scientist, that means a lot.”

The work does not end with the TIME honor, she said. “One of the things about the finding is that it points the way to new studies that we can do and we’d like to go on and continue to make progress again for pediatric HIV infection.”

As explained by the doctor to PBS: “This baby was born to a very high-risk mother who was not diagnosed as HIV-infected until she presented in labor. So she had no prenatal care, which put the baby at risk for HIV infection. Customarily, if you’ve got a mom that’s HIV-positive, antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy are recommended and then you treat the baby for a period of time afterward to prevent mother-to-child transmission.

“Because this baby was at risk, Dr. Gay decided to begin treatment very early and to treat the baby with three drugs. The baby had blood drawn at 30 hours and then was started on antiretrovirals without knowledge of what the baby’s status was. The tests turned up positive.”

The team of Luzuriaga included AIDS researchers Dr. Hannah Gay, a pediatrician at the University of Mississippi, and Dr. Deborah Persaud, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. They were also honored at the awards ceremony.

Luzuriaga, a Filipino American, has been at the forefront of pediatric HIV/AIDS research. Her bio says she has over 20 years experience in “patient-oriented research focused on mother-to-child transmission of HIV.” Her father’s family is from Bacolod, Negros Occidental. She grew up in Metro Manila, and graduated from the American-International School.

Among the TIME 100 are artist and music entrepreneur Jay-Z, conservative politician Rand Paul, and 15-year-old blogger-activist Malala Yousafzai who was almost killed by the Taliban because she became the voice of young Pakistani women who aspire to be educated and independent.

“I know that TIME Magazine spends a great deal of time selecting their people and some of them are very controversial and that’s what makes the list so interesting,” journalist Barbara Walters told The FilAm.

Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington

Echoed journalist Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post. “They’re not just picking people for the good they do, but for the influence they’re having in the world.”

Follow this link for the complete list of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

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5 Comments

  1. Marissa wrote:

    awesome news…my hat’s off to all of them..

    cutting edge technologies are at hand…I hope we continue to apply these in our daily living..
    Science and medicine are our best strategies in curing illness and health maintenance.

    I hope to reach 120 still driving my BMW.
    Ms M

  2. M. Matthews wrote:

    Elton, thank you very much for your report about Times Magazine 100 Most Influential people which honored a Filipin medical doctor her HID’s research.

    • ELTON LUGAY wrote:

      You’re welcome Mike. Meeting a ‘kababayan’ honoree at the Time 100 gala was a huge pride moment for Filipinos in America. I was one lucky reporter.

      • fohs sales wrote:

        So when will a Filipino make it to the Nobel Prize winners’ circle? I’ve heard that the reason Filipino scientists and other Filipino professionals haven’t made it to the list of Nobel winners is because nobody cares to nominate them in the first place. What are the qualifications of nominators?

  3. […] 1-FilAm scientist Katherine Luzuriaga, who helped find a cure for HIV baby, among TIME’s most influe… One of two Filipinos who made this year’s TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World is Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga, a pediatric allergist and immunologist from the University of Massachusetts. She was part of the team that developed a cure for an HIV-positive infant. […]

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