Sharon Hillier

Sharon Louise Hillier (born 1954) is an American microbiologist. She is the Richard Sweet Endowed Chair in Reproductive Infectious Disease and vice chair of the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) and Magee-Women's Research Institute.

Sharon Hillier
Born1954 (age 68–69)[notes 1]
Seattle
SpouseButch
Children2
Academic background
EducationB.S., Bacteriology and Public Health, 1976, Washington State University
PhD., Bacteriology and Public Health, 1982, Washington State University
ThesisThe glyoxylate cycle enzymes and intermediates in Yersinia pestis: diagnostic applications and a possible role in the infectious process (1982)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Washington
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Early life and education

Hillier was born and raised in Seattle, where she attended the University of Washington for her Bachelor of Science and doctoral degrees.[1]

Career

While finishing her doctoral degree at Washington State University, Hillier studied the bubonic plague and began to specialize in sexually transmitted diseases.[2] This led her to join the HIV movement led by Polly Harrison and formed the Alliance for Microbicide Development.[1] She co-published a study in 1991 titled Reliability of diagnosing bacterial vaginosis is improved by a standardized method of gram stain interpretation[3] and attended the first White House Conference on HIV and AIDS in 1995 but was met with resistance.[1]

Hillier began teaching at the University of Washington as a research associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and microbiology, before joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) in 1995.[4] While at Pitt, Hillier continued her study into HIV and Aids and founded the Microbiocide Trials Network (MTN), an international research program which studies ways to stop transmission of sexually transmitted diseases.[5] After a failed study conducted in 2001 showed nonoxynol did not prevent HIV infections, her project tried studies on spermicides and substances designed to block the entry of viruses into cells, both of which failed.[2] During this time, she was appointed president of the Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology and sat on the board of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Disease Research.[6]

In 2009, it was announced that Hillier would lead a National Institutes of Health funded project to identify novel bacteria that might play a role in the development of pelvic inflammatory diseases.[7] She also received the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association's Thomas Parran Award during the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR) meeting "for her distinguished contributions to the field of STD research and prevention."[8] The following year, Hillier led a study in five countries of sub-Saharan Africa regarding the effectiveness of topical microbicides and prophylactic use of antiretroviral drugs in preventing the sexual transmission of HIV.[9] One of the studies proved tenofovir gel was successful in preventing HIV infections although it was unable to be reproduced by outside labs.[10]

By 2013, the MTN conducted 13 trials and was granted $70 million to develop and test HIV prevention products. The research was specifically focused on individuals who are having sex with men as they are at the highest risk.[11] During this time, she also served as chair of the NIH Office of AIDS Research Advisory Council.[6] In 2015, Hillier and Lisa Rohan conducted and concluded the first human clinical trials for antiretroviral containing vaginal film products intended to prevent HIV infection.[12] She also sat on the editorial boards of Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reviews in Contemporary Pharmacotherapy, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Anaerobe.[4] In 2019, Hillier was the recipient of the Pittsburgh Women who Rock Award from the UPMC Health Plan and UPMC Magee-Women's Hospital.[13]

Personal life

Hillier and her husband Butch have two children together.[14]

Notes
  1. In 2001, Hillier was reported to be 47[1]

References
  1. Carpenter, Mackenzie (May 15, 2001). "A woman's focus on AIDS". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  2. Roth, Mark (June 30, 2008). "The Thinkers: Pitt researcher sees female side of global AIDS fight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  3. Nugent, Robert P.; Krohn, Marijane A.; Hillier, Sharon (March 1991). "Reliability of diagnosing bacterial vaginosis is improved by a standardized method of gram stain interpretation". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 29 (2): 297–301. doi:10.1128/JCM.29.2.297-301.1991. PMC 269757. PMID 1706728. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  4. "Sharon L. Hillier, PhD". upmc.com. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  5. "Magee Researcher Leads International HIV Effort" (PDF). pittmed.health.pitt.edu. Spring 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  6. "Sharon Hillier, Ph.D." mtnstopshiv.org. Microbicide Trials Network. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  7. Srikameswaran, Anita; Lukasiak, Marc (November 30, 2009). "NIH Awards $12.5 Million for Center on Sexually Transmitted Infections". chronicle.pitt.edu. Pitt Chronicle. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  8. "Sharon Hillier receives award at international meeting". mtnstopshiv.org. Microbicide Trials Network. June 24, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  9. Fraser, Jeffery (September 7, 2010). "Window on the World: International and Global Research and Education at Pitt". chronicle.pitt.edu. Pitt Chronicle. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  10. Sachan, Dinsa (September 3, 2015). "A self-proclaimed 'vaginal ecologist' is determined to halt the transmission of HIV to women". pri.org. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  11. Nath, Jessica (December 27, 2013). "Pittsburgh-Based Microbicide Trials Network Creates HIV Prevention Products". wesa.fm. WESA. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  12. "ANNUAL REPORT 2015–2016" (PDF). pharmacy.pitt.edu. Fall 2016. p. 12. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  13. "Dr. Sharon Hillier to receive 2019 Women who Rock Award". eurekalert.org. American Association for the Advancement of Science. March 11, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  14. Baron, Jennifer (August 7, 2019). "Why Dr. Sharon Hillier is a woman who rocks". nextpittsburgh.com. NEXTpittsburgh. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
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