With more than 35 years experience as a clinical pharmacologist, Professor Francesca Aweeka's work has enabled a better understanding of the clinical pharmacology and treatments of several global health diseases, most notably malaria, HIV and most recently, COVID-19. Prof Aweeka previously served as the Chair of the Pharmacology Committee of the NIH-based AIDS Clinical Trials Group and served as the Director of the internationally regarded Drug Research Unit (DRU) at the University of California, San Francisco for >20 years.
Professor Aweeka's research is primarily focused on anti-infective drugs, specifically in resource-limited settings such as sub-Saharan Africa. Her work has significantly contributed to the optimization of anti-retroviral drug therapies for the treatment of HIV.
Through her mentorship of students, trainees and early career researchers at UCSF and, most notably, in sub-Saharan Africa, Prof Aweeka has made major contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion. She is Principal Investigator for multiple grants funded by the US National Institute of Health that focus on improving treatments for vulnerable populations in Uganda and as part of a UCSF School of Pharmacy initiative, she is collaborating with the University of Nigeria to develop curricula for their School of Pharmacy program.
Professor Aweeka will be hosted by Professor Richard H. Guy in the Department of Life Sciences. Regarding Prof Aweeka's appointment as a Bath Global Chair, Prof Guy said:
Professor Fran Aweeka is internationally recognised for her research that has focussed on understanding the clinical pharmacology and improving the treatment of several global health diseases. Professor Aweeka’s appointment as a Global Chair offers several opportunities to forge strong interactions and partnerships between Bath and the University of California, San Francisco, particularly in the areas of regulatory science, antimicrobial drug pharmacology and resistance, and in developing and enabling research and education in pharmacy practice. The Department of Life Sciences looks forward enthusiastically to Professor Aweeka’s presence on campus and to the establishment of high-profile collaborations in health-related research and practice encompassed within the Bath Beacon of Health & Well Being.
Activities at Bath
Prof. Francesca Aweeka was appointed as a Global Chair in 2023/24.
During Prof. Aweeka's tenure as Global Chair, there were many activities that continue to deliver positive outcomes for both the University of Bath and UCSF, including:
- Prof. Aweeka held a Public Lecture titled 'Malaria: a relentless global challenge with our aim toward optimised treatment and control' in June 2024.
- Establishment and development of several new synergistic partnerships between the Department of Life Sciences and UCSF in areas of joint interest including the evolution of antimicrobial resistance, regulatory science and clinical pharmacology.
- Prof. Aweeka implemented a "Transatlantic Research Symposium" that was held virtually in March 2024 and at which faculty from both institutions made presentations around their areas of expertise.
- Plans for another joint transatlantic symposium with the theme of "molecular mechanisms of cell signalling - interactions in various pathologies" and including early career researcher speakers from both UCSF and the University of Bath.
- Research collaboration between Bath-USCF academics with complementary expertise seek to identify multimorbidity clusters and their potentially modifiable factors to improve best-practice guidelines for aging populations in the UK, US and world-wide.
- Merging institutional regulatory science expertise, Prof. Delgado Charro (Dept. of Life Sciences) co-organised two international meetings with Prof. Kathleen Giacomini (Dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy and Co-Director of the FDA-funded UCSF-Stanford CERSI) in June 2024 titled 'Global Initiative on Regulatory Sciences'. At these meetings, regulatory science leaders from across the globe came together to identify priority areas for collaboration and synergy to ultimately share expertise and streamline and advance regulatory science research around the world.
- Publication of a joint paper, Drug-drug interaction between dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine during malaria chemo-prevention in pregnant women, including Prof. Aweeka and Prof. Nikoletta Fotaki (Dept. of Life Sciences) in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.