Dr. David D. Ho is a pioneering figure in infectious disease research and a world leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He currently serves as the Clyde '56 and Helen Wu Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and holds the position of Emeritus Founding Director at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. Born in Taiwan in 1952, he immigrated to the United States in 1965 and earned his Bachelor of Science in Biology & Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1974 with highest honors. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1978 and completed his clinical training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at UCLA School of Medicine and Massachusetts General Hospital. His career took a decisive turn during his residency at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center when he encountered patients with a mysterious illness that would later be identified as HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Ho's groundbreaking research in the mid-1990s fundamentally transformed our understanding of HIV replication dynamics, demonstrating through elegant human studies that the virus replicates rapidly within the human body. This seminal insight led him to champion the strategy of treating HIV with combination antiretroviral therapy, a paradigm shift from the single-drug approaches previously used that had limited effectiveness. His team presented these transformative findings at the 1996 International AIDS Conference in Vancouver, showing for the first time that HIV could be driven to undetectable levels through strategic drug combinations. This breakthrough revolutionized HIV treatment, converting what was once an automatic death sentence into a manageable chronic condition and establishing the standard of care that has since treated over 25 million people worldwide.
Beyond his scientific contributions, Dr. Ho has been instrumental in shaping global HIV/AIDS policy and treatment strategies through his leadership of international collaborations, including significant efforts to address the epidemic in China. His guidance was pivotal in helping China reform its AIDS policies and implement effective treatment programs while establishing the HKU AIDS Institute in 2007 through a strategic partnership with the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. Recognized with numerous honors including Time Magazine's Man of the Year in 1996 and the Presidential Medal in 2001, Dr. Ho continues to advance medical science by applying his expertise to emerging challenges, including his recent work developing diagnostic, treatment, and prevention strategies for SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As both a mentor to the next generation of researchers and a thought leader in global health, his enduring legacy continues to influence infectious disease research and public health policy worldwide.
