Dr. Perkins is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Center for Global Health in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of New Mexico. Research projects in Dr. Perkins’ laboratories are based primarily in the US and Kenya. These projects focus on various molecular aspects of the human host-immune response to parasites and viruses. One primary goal of the laboratories is to determine the role of genetic variation in cytokine, chemokine, and effector molecule genes in conditioning susceptibility to Plasmodium falciparum-induced severe malarial anemia in African children. The laboratories are also actively investigating the molecular basis of enhanced immune dysfunction in individuals co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and malaria. Additional projects are focused on the impact of bacteremia on the morbidity and mortality of pediatric populations residing in holoendemic P. falciparum transmission areas. Research projects in Dr. Perkins’ laboratories involve active collaborations with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kenya Medial Research Institute (Kisumu, Kenya), Ministry of Health, Kenya (MOH, Kenya), Kenyatta University ( Nairobi, Kenya), Maseno University (Maseno, Kenya), Mahidol University, Hospital for Tropical Disease Research (Bangkok, Thailand), Universidad de Valle (Cali, Colombia), and University of Georgia.
