June 1, 2011

Akhil Vaidya, PhD, professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, has been elected as Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Fellows are elected yearly through a very selective, peer-review process, based on scientific achievement and original contributions that have advanced microbiology. Vaidya is among 78 new international microbiologists elected in 2011.

This is the most recent honor in Vaidya's distinguished career as a research scientist and biomedical educator. His research interests involve mitochondrial physiology and bioenergetics in malaria parasites, mechanisms of antimalarial drug action and resistance, development of new antimalarial drugs, and global health challenges. He has made many seminal contributions to our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of malarial diseases.

In addition to his role as professor, Vaidya serves as the director of Drexel University College of Medicine's Center for Molecular Parasitology, within the Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease. The center, with over 25 investigators with research interests in malaria, is among the largest such academic groups in the United States. Vaidya, along with two of the center's members, Drs. Bill Bergman and James Burns, is supported by a cumulative NIH commitment of approximately $8.1 million for the treatment and prevention of malarial disease.

During the past year Vaidya received renewed grant support from NIH for five years totaling $1.9 million; he was also awarded a new NIH R21 grant to develop post-genomic tools to study vivax malaria. He has established collaborations with investigators in Mumbai, India, and has mentored a number of investigators in his homeland over the years. Vaidya has presented his work at numerous national and international meetings, chaired several sessions and was invited to give seminars at many academic institutions.

In addition to his research activities, Vaidya continues to participate heavily in teaching activities in both medical and graduate programs. He has been a mentor to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty. He has also served on several Study Sections for the Center for Scientific Review of the National Institutes of Health. Numerous researchers locally, nationally and internationally seek his advice and collaboration on various aspects of molecular and cellular biology of infectious diseases.