Release date: March 9, 2007
Contact: Elaine Justice at 404-727-0643 or elaine.justice@emory.edu

Emory Honors del Rio, Al-Jabri for Outstanding International Work

Emory University's Office of International Affairs will host its annual International Awards Night on March 26 to honor two individuals who have helped make Emory a more international university.

Carlos del Rio, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Emory University School of Medicine, and adjunct professor in the Rollins School of Public Health, will receive this year's Marion V. Creekmore Award for Internationalization. The award, established by Claus M. Halle, and named after Emory's first vice provost for international affairs, is given each year to a faculty member who excels in the advancement of the university's commitment to internationalization.

The Sheth Distinguished International Alumni Award will be presented to Shariffa Al-Jabri, a native of Oman and graduate of the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing and director of Nursing Affairs for the Oman Ministry of Health. The annual Sheth Award, established by Mahdu and Jagdish Sheth, recognizes international alumni who have gone on to achieve prominence in their careers around the world.

Carlos del Rio

del Rio, an internationally recognized leader in the study of infectious diseases, is Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases), Vice Chair for Grady Affairs (Department of Medicine), Director for Clinical Sciences and International Research for the Emory Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), and Principal Investigator/Director of the Emory AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP).

del Rio's research focuses on healthcare utilization patterns by HIV-infected people, interventions to reduce barriers to care in resource poor settings, HIV/AIDS-associated risk behaviors, adherence and the impact of HIV/AIDS therapy on risk behavior.

The former Director of the National AIDS Program in Mexico, del Rio's leadership has been instrumental in expanding Emory's international research program on the spectrum and impact of AIDS in developing countries and in establishing training collaborations with Armenia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Mexico, Rwanda, Vietnam and Zambia.

"As a citizen of the University, Dr. del Rio has had an extraordinary impact on Emory not only in multiple areas of scholarship, grant development, administration, teaching and clinical care, but also in international research, training and intervention. He has helped make Emory a major international center for AIDS research and training, and his work is having an important impact in the world," says vice provost for international affairs and head of the Creekmore Award selection committee, Holli Semetko, summing up the views of committee members.

Shariffa Al-Jabri

Al-Jabri is being honored for her work in the fields of nursing and midwifery and for her service to her country by improving health standards and practices. A Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at Emory from 1995-1996, she has served as the president of the Oman Nursing and Midwifery Council since 2001 where she works closely with professionals in the Ministry of Health, including legal advisors, nurses, midwives and physicians.

"It is a great honor that an alumna of the School of Nursing was selected as this year's Sheth Award winner. We are extremely proud of Ms. Al-Jabri's dedication to the promotion of health in her country and for her commitment to the field of nursing and midwifery. She shines brightly on Emory and our school," says Marla E. Salmon, dean of Emory's Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing."

Emory University is one of the nation's leading private research universities and a member of the Association of American Universities. Known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate college of arts and sciences, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities, Emory is ranked as one of the country's top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to its nine schools, the university encompasses The Carter Center, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, the state's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

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