Carlos del Rio, MD is the Leon L. Haley, Jr Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology at the Rollins School of Public Health. Dr. del Rio is co-Director of the Emory Center for AIDS Research and co-PI of the Emory Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit. A native of Mexico where he attended medical school graduating with honors in 1983. He did his Medicine and Infectious Diseases training at Emory. In 1989 he returned to Mexico where he was Executive Director of the National AIDS Council (CONASIDA). In 1996 Dr. del Rio returned to Emory where he is involved in patient care, teaching and research. Dr. del Rio’s research focuses on improving outcomes for people with HIV and the prevention of HIV infection. He has worked for over two decades with marginalized populations including person who use drugs to improve clinical care and outcomes in the U.S. and abroad. He is the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of PEPFAR, member of UNAIDS Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee and Immediate Past President of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. In 2013 Dr. del Rio was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and, in 2020, he was elected as the International Secretary of the National Academy of Medicine. In 2022 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Among his many honors are the James H. Nakano Citation received in 2001 and awarded by the CDC for an outstanding scientific paper published in 2000; the Emory University Marion V. Creekmore Achievement Award for Internationalization; the Thomas Jefferson Award from Emory University, the highest award conferred by Emory to a faculty or staff member who has significantly enriched the intellectual and civic life of the Emory community, the Ohtli Award from the Government of Mexico for work that benefits communities of Mexican origin living in the U.S., the APHA Award for Excellence in Public Health and the MAP International Bill Foege Global Health Award. In 2021 he was recognized by the Carnegie Corporation of New York as a “Great Immigrant, Great American”. Dr. del Rio was recognized in 2022 by the CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Equity as a Health Equity Champion.

During the COVID-19 pandemic Dr. del Rio has been a leader locally and nationally, doing research, developing policies, writing scientific publications, and making countess media appearances. Dr. del Rio advised municipal, state, and national leaders and also served on the national advisory committee of the COVID Collaborative, which focuses on developing consensus recommendations and engaging with U.S. leaders on effective policy and coronavirus response. Dr. del Rio was named as one of the “50 most trusted experts” and recognized by the HHS Secretary as a “Trusted Messenger”.