Dawd Siraj, MD, MPH&TM, professor (CHS), Infectious Disease, has been selected by the UW School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) for the Centennial Scholars Program.

The goal of the competitive program is to develop faculty whose diversity enhances the quality of education and research at the SMPH, and who may serve as visible and available role models for students and trainees, especially those from historically underrepresented minority backgrounds.

The program provides mentoring and three years of funding to support each Scholar's work.

Dr. Siraj directs the UW Health Travel Clinic and serves as Associate Program Director for the Infectious Disease Fellowship Program. He completed his fellowship training in Infectious Diseases as well as a Masters in Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He joined the faculty of UW-Madison in August, 2016.

His clinical interests include HIV/AIDS, international travel, global health and medical care in resource-limited countries, and he is leading a new Global Health track in the UW-Madison Internal Medicine Residency Program. His research studies are focused on HIV and global health topics in collaboration with several universities in Ethiopia.

Previous Centennial Scholars from the Department of Medicine include:

• Ozioma Okonkwo, PhD, assistant professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology. Dr. Okonkwo became a Centennial Scholar in 2013. His research focuses on the neuroimaging of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease, especially as regards the role of candidate modifiable and non-modifiable factors in influencing the clinical expression of Alzheimer-related brain changes among at-risk middle-aged adults.
• Angela Byars-Winston, PhD, professor, General Internal Medicine. Dr. Byars-Winstin became a Centennial Scholar in 2012. Her research focuses on the examination of cultural influences on career development, especially for racial and ethnic minorities and women in the sciences, engineering and medicine, with the goal of developing evidence-based interventions to increase persistence and advancement in science for underrepresented groups.
• Heather Johnson, MD, MS, associate professor, Cardiovascular Medicine. Dr. Johnson became a Centennial Scholar in 2010. Her research program utilizes health outcomes data and qualitative methodology to improve the management of hypertension and the delivery of cardiovascular preventive services to young adults.

Resources:
Centennial Scholars at UWSMPH (SMPH intranet)