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Professor Jaime H Vera Rojas

Professor Jaime H Vera Rojas (MD, PhD, MRCP, DTMH)

Chair in HIV Medicine and Honorary Consultant Physician
E: J.Vera@bsms.ac.uk
T: +44 (0) 1273 523087
Location: BSMS Teaching Building, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9PX

Areas of expertise: Comorbidities and HIV; inflammation and HIV; ageing and HIV; HIV prevention

Research areas: Ageing and HIV; HIV-associated central nervous system diseases; inflammation and HIV; HIV clinical trials; HIV prevention. See more on HIV research here >

Other relevant positions: Research lead for the Global Health and Infection Departmen; tHonorary Consultant HIV Medicine

PA/DA: Debbie Miller
E: d.miller@bsms.ac.uk
T: +44(0)1273 877889

Biography

Jaime Vera is a Chair in HIV Medicine at Brighton and Sussex Medical School. He obtained his medical degree from the Columbian School of Medicine followed by training in general internal medicine in London. In 2008, he was granted a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Academic Clinical Fellowship in HIV Medicine at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College London, where he subsequently completed his specialist training in HIV and Genitourinary Medicine. In 2011, He was awarded Wellcome Trust Translational Medicine and Therapeutics Fellowship. During his PhD, he investigated the pathogenic mechanisms associated with neuroinflammation in HIV using novel brain imaging and immunological approaches.

Jaime is also a Consultant Physician for the Lawson unit at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust where he is the clinical lead for the combined HIV and geriatrics, neurology, and memory clinics. Jaime is also an investigator for the Clinical Research Facility based the Royal Sussex County Hospital, and the research lead for the Department of Global Health and Infection.

Education

PhD in HIV and Neuroscience, Imperial College London, 2015
Dip GUM, Society of Apothecaries, 2010
DTMH, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2007
MRCP, Royal College of Physicians, London, 2006
MD, Columbian School of Medicine, 1999

Research

Current Research

Comorbidities and Brain
Jaime’s research focusses on the study of comorbidities affecting people with HIV with a particular interest in investigating the mechanisms associated with the development of HIV associated cognitive impairment using sophisticated brain imaging techniques. He also involved with the development and evaluation of innovative models of care for people with HIV with comorbidities, as well as interventional studies aimed at improving quality of life, and mental well-being of people with HIV.
HIV and Sexual transmitted Infections prevention
Jaime has been involved with the development of digital vending machine technology for the distribution of HIV self-test to key communities affected by HIV in high and low-income settings. This work was awarded a BMJ award for innovation in 2018. Jaime is a principal investigator for a multicentre WHO sponsored study evaluating the use of dual HIV and Syphilis point of care tests (Prospero study) and has recently established a research collaboration with investigators from the University Teaching hospital in Lusaka, Centre for Infection Diseases Research (CIDRZ) and the Universidad del Rosario to increase access to Sexual and Reproductive Health of Young people in Zambia and Colombia.

More details of the research work in HIV and Sexual Health can be found on the BSMS Global Health and infection research website at www.bsms.ac.uk/hiv-and-sexual-health >

Research team

Katie Alford: Post-Doctoral Research Fellow HIV and Neurology
Natalie St Clair-Sullivan: PhD student and Research Fellow in HIV and Frailty
Dr Fiona Creswell: NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer
Dr Kevin Martin: Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow
Dr Harriet Mortimer: NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow
Dr Claire Norcross: Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow
Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots: Wellcome Trust PhD in Translational Neuroscience
Dr Harriet Daultrey: NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer Diabetes and Global Health
Clea Tanner: Research Assistant in HIV

Teaching

Jaime is a lecturer and supervisor for the Global Health MSc and a clinical supervisor for the European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) Medical Exchange Program.

Selected publications

Moyle, Graeme; Assoumou, Lambert; de Castro, Nathalie; Post, Frank A; Curran, Adrian; Rusconi, Stefano; et al. (2024). Switching to dolutegravir plus rilpivirine versus maintaining current antiretroviral therapy regimen in virologically suppressed people with HIV-1 and the Lys103Asn (K103N) mutation: 48-week results from a randomised, open-label pilot clinical trial. University of Sussex. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uos.25298686.v1

Gobin, Maya; Dhillon, Syra; Kesten, Joanna May; Horwood, Jeremy; Dean, Gillian Louise; Stockwell, Sarah; et al. (2024). Acceptability of digital vending machines to access STI and HIV tests in two UK cities.. University of Sussex. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uos.25152767.v1

Daultrey, Harriet; Levett, Thomas; Oliver, Nick; Vera Rojas, Jaime; Chakera, Ali J (2023). HIV and type 2 diabetes: an evolving story. University of Sussex. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uos.24907434.v1

Clair-Sullivan, Natalie S; Bristowe, Katherine; Khan, Inayat; Maddocks, Matthew; Harding, Richard; Bremner, Stephen; et al. (2023). Implementation of frailty screening for older people living with HIV in Brighton, UK. University of Sussex. Journal contribution. https://hdl.handle.net/10779/uos.24907437.v1

Mudra Rakshasa-Loots A, Bakewell N, Sharp DJ, Gisslén M, Zetterberg H, Alagaratnam J, Wit FWNM, Kootstra NA, Winston A, Reiss P, Sabin CA, Vera JH; COmorBidity in Relation to AIDS (COBRA) cohort. Biomarkers of central and peripheral inflammation mediate the association between HIV and depressive symptoms. Transl Psychiatry. 2023 Jun 6;13(1):190. doi: 10.1038/s41398-023-02489-0. PMID: 37280232; PMCID: PMC10244452.

St Clair-Sullivan N, Bristowe K, Adler Z, et al Silver Clinic: protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial of comprehensive geriatric assessment for people living with HIV and frailtyBMJ Open 2023;13:e070590. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070590

Levett, Thomas, Vera Rojas, Jaime, Jones, Chris, Bremner, Stephen, Leon, Agathe, Begovac, Josep, Apers, Ludwig, Borges, Margarida, Zekan, Sime, Teofilo, Eugenio, Garcia, Felipe and Whetham, Jennifer (2022) A cross-sectional assessment of frailty, falls and perceptions of ageing in people living with HIV using an mHealth platform. HIV Medicine. pp. 1-10. ISSN 1464-2662

Levett, Thomas, St. Clair-Sullivan, Natalie, Simmons, Kiersten, Harding-Swale, Richard, Maddocks, Matthew, Roberts, Jonathan, Trotman, D, Yi, D, Vera-Rojas, Jaime and Bristowe, Katharine (2022) Frailty and frailty screening: a qualitative study to elicit perspectives of people living with HIV and their health care professionals. HIV Medicine. pp. 1-10. ISSN 1464-2662

Woldesemayat, Endrias Markos, St Clair-Sullivan, Natalie, Kassa, Andargachew, Gari, Taye, Gutema, Keneni, Chea, Nana, Woubshet, Kindie, Bogale, Netsanet, Assefa, Amare and Vera, Jaime (2023) Frailty status and associated factors among older PLHIV in Southern Ethiopia. PLOS ONE, 18 (4). e0284376 1-17. ISSN 1932-6203

Trunfio, Mattia, Pinnetti, Carmela, Arsuffi, Stefania, Bai, Francesca, Celani, Luigi, D'Ettorre, Gabriella, Vera, Jaime H, Monforte, Antonella D'Arminio, Focà, Emanuele, Ghisetti, Valeria, Bonora, Stefano, Antinori, Andrea and Calcagno, Andrea (2023) The presence of resistance-associated mutations in reverse transcriptase gene is associated with cerebrospinal fluid HIV-1 escape: a multicentric retrospective analysis. Journal of Medical Virology, 95 (4). e28704. ISSN 0146-6615

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Editorial and other responsibilities

Member of the Brain Sciences Journal, PlOS one, and HIV Medicine Editorial board.