Kimberly Powers
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Kimberly A. Powers is an American epidemiologist who is an associate professor of
epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and Risk factor (epidemiology), determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent dise ...
at the
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is the public health school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is accredited by ...
. She combines epidemiology, statistics and mathematical modelling to understand the transmission of infectious diseases. In 2011 her work on
antiretroviral therapy The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of mul ...
for the management of
human immunodeficiency virus The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of th ...
was selected by ''
Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
'' as the breakthrough of the year. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Powers looked to understand the spread of
SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the Novel coronavirus, provisional nam ...
.


Early life and education

As a child Powers considered becoming as physician. She eventually studied mathematics at
Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...
and graduated in 1998. After graduating she joined a healthcare consultancy, where she was first introduced to epidemiology. She spent a year at
The University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in the ...
where she studied tobacco use in the community. In 2002 she moved to
Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development Laboratory, laboratories of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy ...
, where she worked as a graduate assistant in the biophysics group. There she developed mathematical models that could describe viral transmission. She was eventually accepted as a graduate student at the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...
, where she eared a
Master's in Public Health The Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), International Masters for Health Leadership (IMHL) are interdisciplinary profes ...
. During her second year at UNC she saw a talk from Myron S. Cohen, and became interest in the use of antiretroviral drugs to treat
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
. She remained at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her doctoral studies, where she studied the transmission dynamics of HIV in the laboratory of Cohen. During her doctoral research, Cohen realised that Powers would need formal training in epidemiology. She spent one year in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, studying at the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The institu ...
and
Imperial College London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...
. In particular, her research considered acute- and early-stage
HIV infection The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a preventable disease. It can ...
in
Lilongwe Lilongwe (, ,) is the capital and largest city of Malawi. It has a population of 989,318 as of the 2018 Census, up from a population of 674,448 in 2008. In 2020, that figure was 1,122,000. The city is located in the central region of Malawi, i ...
. She spent weeks at a time visiting a STD clinic in Lilongwe, where she looked to improve patient care as well as track trends in HIV transmission.


Research and career

In 2010 Powers started a postdoctoral research position at the
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health is the public health school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a public university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees and is accredited by ...
. She identified that almost 40% of HIV transmission occurred before patients or physicians knew about it, meaning that treatment often started after infection had occurred. People who are unaware about their own HIV infection contribute significantly to the ongoing transmission of virus. She was awarded the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill award for research excellence in 2011. Powers recognised that population-level prevention of HIV would require regular testing, to detect the virus in its early stages, as well as the provision of antiretroviral drugs. Powers was part of the
HPTN 052 HPTN 052 is the name of a clinical trial conducted in nine countries which examined whether starting people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce the chance that they will pass HIV on to their sexual partners who do not have H ...
clinical trial, and demonstrated that there was a 96% reduction in transmission in couples who had been treated with
antiretroviral therapy The management of HIV/AIDS normally includes the use of multiple antiretroviral drugs as a strategy to control HIV infection. There are several classes of antiretroviral agents that act on different stages of the HIV life-cycle. The use of mul ...
. She looked to apply this understanding to other populations, including in the US prison community. The proportion of HIV positive Americans in the United States prison system is significant; between 5 and 7 times that of the general population. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Powers looked to understand the spread of
SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the Novel coronavirus, provisional nam ...
in
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. She predicted that by early April cases in North Carolina would reach 4,000. Her prediction was proved correct, even without people in North Carolina having access widespread testing. Her mathematical model included estimates of the rate at which people interact, and was adapted to take into account quarantine restrictions and social distancing.


Selected publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Kimberly Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American women epidemiologists American epidemiologists UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty Hamilton College (New York) alumni 21st-century American women