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Members > Spotlights > Rohit Talwani

GVN Center and Member Spotlight

Rohit Talwani

Associate Professor of Medicine, Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, GVN Center of Excellence
Chief, Section of Infectious Diseases, VA Maryland Healthcare System
Service Chief for General Infectious Diseases Consult Team at UMMC, USA

What are the major problems that we are facing to curb the current pandemic situation?

We have worked on several treatment trials for the management and prevention of COVID-19. This work has entailed clinical trials in both inpatient and outpatient settings. At the onset of the pandemic, we were involved in setting up expanded access protocols for remdesivir use in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. We also conducted numerous clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of investigational compounds in treating severe COVID-19 disease. In particular, one of the ongoing trials at UMMC is a phase 2/3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and multi-center trial for evaluating the safety and efficacy of a monoclonal antibody to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) patients with severe COVID-19 disease.

What clinical studies have you been working on?

At the VA Maryland Medical Center, we led the Janssen ENSEMBLE study, a phase 3 placebo-controlled trial. This study evaluated the safety and efficacy of a single dose, replication-incompetent adenovirus type 26 (Ad26) vectored vaccine expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. We enrolled 71 participants in a three-week period and intend to expand this project by assessing the B and T cell responses in other vaccine participants and in patients who have recovered from COVID-19.

Bio sketch

Dr. Rohit Talwani is an infectious disease specialist in Baltimore, Maryland and is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including the VA Maryland Healthcare System, University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus and University of Maryland Medical Center. He received his medical degree from University of South Carolina School of Medicine and has been in practice for more than 20 years.

About the Institute of Human Virology - Clinical Care Division

The Clinical Center of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) provides care and support for people living with complicated viral and infectious diseases. We specialize in treating patients living with:

  • HIV
  • AIDS
  • Hepatitis
  • Herpes
  • Cancers associated with viruses
  • Human Papilloma Virus
  • Other general infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and Lyme disease

IHV's physicians and scientists are world-renowned for their expertise in HIV and viral diseases. Each member of the IHV's Clinical Center is committed to providing patients with the most advanced medical care available. Care is delivered with compassion, sensitivity and confidentiality in a comfortable, supportive setting. IHV's health care professionals work closely to understand individual needs and prescribe the most effective and appropriate care.