Feinstein Institutes' Dr. Douglas F. Nixon Named Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America
For over 30 years, Dr. Nixon has been a leading figure in immunovirology research, spanning clinical research, human immunology, basic virology and molecular biology. A pioneer in the study of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) – often called 'junk DNA' or 'dark genome' that does not code for genes – Dr. Nixon investigates their influence on neuroimmunological, neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions.
As the leader of the Institute of Translational Research, Dr. Nixon heads a team whose research aims to accelerate the development of treatments for a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, cancer, HIV/AIDS, other viral infections and mental health disorders.
'I am honored to be elected a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. This recognition is a testament to the collaborative spirit and dedication of my colleagues and mentors who have inspired and supported me throughout my career,' said Dr. Nixon. 'I am eager to contribute further to the critical mission of the society, advancing research and clinical care in infectious diseases for the benefit of patients worldwide.'
Dr. Nixon has built a distinguished career in immunology and virology, earning degrees from University College London, the University of London, and the University of Oxford. His work spans biotech, academia and research institutions, including Rockefeller University, the Gladstone Institute, UCSF, George Washington University, Weill Cornell, and now at the Feinstein Institutes.
With over 330 publications and continuous National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding for 25 years, Dr. Nixon's accomplishments include the Elizabeth Glaser Scientist Award, an NIH R37 merit award and fellowships in the American Society for Clinical Investigation, National Academy of Inventors and American Academy of Microbiology. He also led NIH initiatives focused on AIDS vaccine research and HIV cure research, which has earned him widespread recognition.
'Dr. Nixon's election as a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America is a high honor that reflects his exceptional scientific leadership,' said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research. 'His groundbreaking work in ancient DNA is transforming how we understand the origins and evolution of infectious diseases and is paving the way toward more effective treatments.'
The IDSA is a global community of over 13,000 clinicians, scientists and public health experts who tackle infectious disease challenges ranging from microscopic microbes to widespread outbreaks. Driven by science, a commitment to health equity and a spirit of inquiry, IDSA members work to protect individual, community and global health by advancing the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases. Fellowship in IDSA is one of the highest honors in the field of infectious diseases, recognizing distinguished clinicians and scientists from the U.S. and around the world whose contributions continue to move the field forward. This year, the IDSA is welcoming 167 Fellows during its annual meeting in the fall.
Dr. Nixon recently published research in Trends in Immunology that showed the five senses – sight, smell, taste, touch and sound – play a key role in the immune system. He calls this 'shared immunity,' and explains that the body can communicate and share immune benefits with others, even across generations. This research significantly expands the understanding of the complex interplay between the senses, the immune system and the environment though genetics and generational evolution, offering potential new directions for future research and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies to enhance immune defenses.
About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.
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The hookup talk everyone wishes they'd heard earlier
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That's why I want you to know what's really going on in college and what you can do to keep yourself safe and healthy. This is the no-judgment, real-world talk that everyone deserves to hear before swiping right in college — or anywhere. First, don't believe everything you hear in your dorm, at the dining hall or at keg-fueled parties. While students will hear that 'everyone' is hooking up, that's not true. Nearly 52% percent of college students reported having vaginal intercourse within the last year, according to the 2024 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment. That means 48% did not. And it's not all consensual sex. True consent is clear, enthusiastic, ongoing, verbalized, freely given and able to be withdrawn at any time. Students often feel pressured to be more physically intimate to fit in. 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While the myth persists that these diseases are passed around in other communities (not yours), sexually transmitted infections don't discriminate. Your risk of an STI comes from behavioral choices, not anyone's appearance, skin color, culture, religion, values, wealth, sexual orientation or political persuasion. Yes, some STIs are more common in certain populations. But check your bias anyway, especially with HIV. Heterosexual contact accounted for 22% of new HIV infections in the United States in 2022, and 13- to 24-year-olds made up 20% of new HIV diagnoses, according to a federal website with information and resources related to HIV/AIDS from the US government. Additionally, young adults are increasingly more fluid in their sexuality, which includes having more bisexual experiences, whether or not they identify as gay or bisexual. If you test positive for one STI, you need more testing. 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Most STIs are silent, causing no, fleeting or minimal symptoms, yet capable of causing significant disease in you or your partner. Screening tests are critical to detect asymptomatic bacterial infections early while they can still be easily treated. Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STI in the world, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Chlamydia is also the most common bacterial STI in the United States, with more than 1.5 million reported cases per year, and yet chlamydia causes no obvious symptoms in most women (75% of females and 50% of males, according to Scripps Health). Left untreated, 10% to 15% of women will develop pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID, and roughly 10% of those women with PID develop infertility, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial STI, with more than 600.000 cases in the United States in 2023, according to the National Overview of STIs in 2023. 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Patients with genital warts used to fill our college clinics, and now thankfully are significantly less common. The Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Impact Monitoring Project shows that cervical precancers dropped roughly 80% in women ages 20 to 24, and researchers predict HPV vaccination can prevent over 90% of all HPV-related cancers from ever developing, according to the CDC. If you're going to have sex, be prepared before you have sex. Birth control pills are extremely effective when used correctly, but college life is filled with irregular schedules, late nights, road trip weekends and, for some people — vomiting. If pills are delayed, forgotten, missed or thrown up, the efficacy plummets. Adding condoms not only decreases your risk of conception but also adds protection against STIs. Do not, however, double up on condoms. This myth is still perpetuated, but using two condoms at once can increase your risk of breakage and failure. Numbers also matter. If you never drive or ride in a car, you'll never have a car accident. The more you drive, the higher your cumulative risk. It's math, not morality. Teens and young adults deserve more than outdated, awkward and judgmental sex talks. They need to learn how to protect their health, their future fertility and their emotional well-being while learning to live life as adults. If more students knew this information, far fewer would end up blindsided in their college medical center's exam rooms. Hookups may be part of college culture for many students, but let's normalize being open, prepared and honest about the risks. Check with your university health center to learn more about prevention, screening and treatment. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
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What I've seen in my clinical experience is that teens and young adults often overlook the need for protection against infections, especially when they are using birth control pills or IUDs to prevent pregnancy. In fact, the Spring 2024 National College Health Assessment data shows that only half (50.2%) of the students who used any method of contraception reported using a male condom the last time they had vaginal intercourse. As a college health doctor, I'm aware that many college students are having sex, and that is clearly their choice. But I've seen firsthand how emotionally and physically devastating these diagnoses can be, with tears flooding the exam room from students diagnosed with herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital warts or HIV. Whether the disease is curable or chronic, the emotional toll is often greater than the physical symptoms — especially since many of these sexually transmitted infections could have been prevented. That's why I want you to know what's really going on in college and what you can do to keep yourself safe and healthy. This is the no-judgment, real-world talk that everyone deserves to hear before swiping right in college — or anywhere. First, don't believe everything you hear in your dorm, at the dining hall or at keg-fueled parties. While students will hear that 'everyone' is hooking up, that's not true. Nearly 52% percent of college students reported having vaginal intercourse within the last year, according to the 2024 American College Health Association National College Health Assessment. That means 48% did not. And it's not all consensual sex. True consent is clear, enthusiastic, ongoing, verbalized, freely given and able to be withdrawn at any time. Students often feel pressured to be more physically intimate to fit in. Thirteen percent of undergrads report 'nonconsensual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent,' according to the Association of American Universities. Intoxicated or high individuals cannot give consent, yet many hookups happen under the influence. Many students have tearfully shared that they 'just wanted to get it over with' or chose oral or anal sex to stay a 'technical virgin.' Some feel guilt or regret, while others are fully comfortable with their physical intimacy but are shocked by an STI or pregnancy diagnosis. When a student comes in concerned about a genital rash, blisters, discharge or pain with urination, STI testing is part of the workup. Students often are selective about which STI tests they want; they're often fine with checking for chlamydia and gonorrhea but decline HIV testing, because their partner is 'not that kind of person.' While the myth persists that these diseases are passed around in other communities (not yours), sexually transmitted infections don't discriminate. Your risk of an STI comes from behavioral choices, not anyone's appearance, skin color, culture, religion, values, wealth, sexual orientation or political persuasion. Yes, some STIs are more common in certain populations. But check your bias anyway, especially with HIV. Heterosexual contact accounted for 22% of new HIV infections in the United States in 2022, and 13- to 24-year-olds made up 20% of new HIV diagnoses, according to a federal website with information and resources related to HIV/AIDS from the US government. Additionally, young adults are increasingly more fluid in their sexuality, which includes having more bisexual experiences, whether or not they identify as gay or bisexual. If you test positive for one STI, you need more testing. Sexually transmitted infections are mostly spread through body fluids, and some are simply shared through direct contact. If you've contracted one infection, you may have another, so you should be tested for them. Unfortunately, we frequently diagnose more than one at a time. Did you know your partner's cold sore can become your genital herpes? Cold sores are caused by herpes simplex virus type 1, or HSV-1, which is easily transmitted by direct contact from one person's oral area to another person's genitals. While herpes is probably the most common disease we see passed via oral sex, it's not the only one. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes and less commonly, HIV, can all be spread bidirectionally from oral-genital intimacy. That means STIs can also cause throat, genital and anal infections. Barriers such as condoms or dental dams can significantly reduce your risk. (This is why flavored condoms exist.) Most STIs are silent, causing no, fleeting or minimal symptoms, yet capable of causing significant disease in you or your partner. Screening tests are critical to detect asymptomatic bacterial infections early while they can still be easily treated. Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STI in the world, according to the Pan American Health Organization. Chlamydia is also the most common bacterial STI in the United States, with more than 1.5 million reported cases per year, and yet chlamydia causes no obvious symptoms in most women (75% of females and 50% of males, according to Scripps Health). Left untreated, 10% to 15% of women will develop pelvic inflammatory disease, or PID, and roughly 10% of those women with PID develop infertility, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Gonorrhea is the second most common bacterial STI, with more than 600.000 cases in the United States in 2023, according to the National Overview of STIs in 2023. Although gonorrhea can also cause PID, very often there is a coinfection with chlamydia, ranging from 10% to 40% in some National Institutes of Health studies. Gonorrhea's biggest challenge is its growing resistance to antibiotics, making it increasingly difficult to treat. PID is the most common preventable cause of female infertility in the United States, affecting an estimated 100,000 women per year, the Cleveland Clinic noted. Sexually active young women should proactively get tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea each year to protect their future fertility. Human papillomavirus is the most common STI overall. Although most HPV infections will resolve spontaneously without problems, persistent infections can quickly cause genital warts or, years later, lead to cancer. Because HPV may be transmitted to a person performing oral sex, HPV also causes 60% to 70% of the roughly 60,000 oropharyngeal cancers (twice as common in men versus women) diagnosed annually in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Human papillomavirus genital warts are not lethal, but they will make you miserable. The treatment is painful, with repeated procedures and a high risk of recurrence. Patients are often scared, embarrassed and emotionally distraught, terrified that this incurable disease will make them undesirable to any future potential partners. I cannot emphasize enough how this emotional burden (which we see with herpes and HIV as well) critically affects students' self-image, confidence and mental health. Since the HPV vaccine rollout, HPV high-risk infections (including genital warts) have fallen by up to 88% among teen girls and young women, thanks to both direct immunization and herd immunity, according to the CDC. Patients with genital warts used to fill our college clinics, and now thankfully are significantly less common. The Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Impact Monitoring Project shows that cervical precancers dropped roughly 80% in women ages 20 to 24, and researchers predict HPV vaccination can prevent over 90% of all HPV-related cancers from ever developing, according to the CDC. If you're going to have sex, be prepared before you have sex. Birth control pills are extremely effective when used correctly, but college life is filled with irregular schedules, late nights, road trip weekends and, for some people — vomiting. If pills are delayed, forgotten, missed or thrown up, the efficacy plummets. Adding condoms not only decreases your risk of conception but also adds protection against STIs. Do not, however, double up on condoms. This myth is still perpetuated, but using two condoms at once can increase your risk of breakage and failure. Numbers also matter. If you never drive or ride in a car, you'll never have a car accident. The more you drive, the higher your cumulative risk. It's math, not morality. Teens and young adults deserve more than outdated, awkward and judgmental sex talks. They need to learn how to protect their health, their future fertility and their emotional well-being while learning to live life as adults. If more students knew this information, far fewer would end up blindsided in their college medical center's exam rooms. Hookups may be part of college culture for many students, but let's normalize being open, prepared and honest about the risks. Check with your university health center to learn more about prevention, screening and treatment. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
Medscape
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Pediatric-to-Adult HIV Transition Model Shows Mixed Results
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