Dr. Yoshiki Kawamura receives first annual “Caroline Breese Hall Young Investigator Award”
At the 8th International Conference on HHV-6 & 7 in Paris, France on April 9, 2013, Dr. William Hall made a presentation to the first recipient of the Caroline B. Hall Young Investigator Award, Dr. Yoshiki Kawamura, who has published important research on the role of cytokines in HHV-6 encephalopathy. In recognition of Caroline’s contribution to the field, the HHV-6 Foundation established an annual grant award in her honor.
Dr. William Hall awards the first annual “Caroline B. Hall Young Investigator Award” to Dr. Yoshiki Kawamura of Japan
Dr. Kawamura is a clinical virologist and pediatric infectious disease specialist, and is poised to become a leading expert in pediatric HHV-6 infections of the central nervous system, a field first pioneered by Caroline Hall. Dr. Kawamura’s research has been largely focused on the development of HHV-6 encephalitis in children and transplant recipients. His work has already helped identify important factors in the pathogenesis of HHV-6 encephalitis resulting from primary infection, and how this presentation differs from the reactivation found in transplant patients. Dr. Kawamura was also the first to describe a case of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in a transplant recipient. His current research endeavors include the characterization of HHV-6 latency and reactivation through detailed study of the HHV-6 genome and mRNA expression in brain tissues.