Stephen Nicholas
Professor, Population and Family Health and Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center
Dr. Nicholas, an academic general pediatrician, is a pioneer in the care of HIV-infected children and an advocate for the medically underserved in Harlem, Washington Heights, and the Dominican Republic, where his work has primarily taken place over the past 25 years. He has created innovative community-based educational experiences for medical and public health students and resident physicians. He was director of pediatrics at Harlem Hospital Center from 2000-2006, during which time he started the Harlem Children's Zone Asthma Initiative, funded by the Robin Hood Foundation. In 1999, Dr. Nicholas founded the Columbia University International Family AIDS Program, which introduced the first AIDS treatment for pregnant women (1999) and long-term AIDS care and treatment for families (2004) in the Dominican Republic. Today, its program in the province of La Romana has lowered the rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission to a rate comparable with New York's, and its clinic is one of the largest providers of care and treatment for children and adults in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Nicholas teaches "The Elimination of Pediatrics AIDS: A Global Approach" for graduate students at Mailman. He also participates in the organization of the summer practicum program for public health students in La Romana, Dominican Republic, and serves as a faculty mentor for the Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health.
Working Group Affiliation