Cynthia L. Gay, MD, MPH
Medical Director, UNC HIV Cure Center, Clinic Lab
Associate Professor of Medicine
Areas of Interest
HIV, HIV cure/remission, HIV vaccines, Covid-19 vaccines
About
Dr. Gay is the Medical Director of the UNC HIV Cure Center where she oversees primarily investigator-initiated translational research and supports basic science research within the NIH-funded Collaboratory of AIDS Researchers for Eradication (CARE) at UNC. She works with a wide group of basic scientists and co-investigators, and UNC research staff on a range of studies including investigator-initiated Phase I/II studies toward HIV eradication. She oversees most research activities that interface with participants for the UNC HIV Cure Center. Examples of their Center’s cutting-edge clinical trial research include a clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of HIV antigen expanded specific T cell therapy as an immune enhancing strategy. She was PI for a study evaluating an HIV latency reversal agent with the broadly neutralizing antibody VRC07-523LS in persons with HIV. They recently completed two Phase 1 studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of two dual affinity retargeting antibodies, in collaboration with the company making the DARTs and Duke University, funded by the NIH. Their group is uniquely positioned to efficiently translate findings from the lab into clinical trials at UNC, and collaborates with investigators outside of UNC via the CARE Collaboratory, as well as investigators in the ACTG, HVTN, and HPTN networks. More recently, her research expanded into vaccine trials. Dr. Gay is the clinical trial PI for two NIH-funded, Phase I clinical trials of a novel HIV vaccine in persons with HIV, in collaboration with Dr. Nilu Goonetilleke. From 2020 to 2023, she was heavily involved in Covid-19 vaccine studies. She was a site-PI for the Phase 3, Covid-19 Moderna vaccine trial, in which UNC enrolled 174 participants at UNC in approximately 2 months. She was a Coronavirus Prevention Network (COVPN) Co-chair and site PI for the Phase 3, Covid-19 Novavax vaccine trial in which UNC enrolled 271 adult and adolescent participants at UNC in less than 2 months. Both trials resulted in FDA-approved Covid-19 vaccines. Her role as a COVPN Co-chair has also included ongoing collaboration with the COVPN, to conduct cross-protocol analyses and maximize the data and impact of Covid-19 vaccine trials.
Memberships
- Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
- International AIDS Society (IAS)
Education
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Undergraduate
Duke University
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Medical School
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Residency
Vanderbilt University
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Fellowship
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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MPH
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill