Category Archives: Spotlight

Kara Chew, MD, MS, is a Core Scientist in the Combination Prevention Core at CHIPTS. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Center for Clinical AIDS Research and Education (CARE), Department of Medicine, at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

Growing up in San Francisco, Kara took an early interest in addressing barriers to health care access for marginalized populations, particularly those who are homeless and uninsured or underinsured. As a result, she gravitated towards studying hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV, infections that disproportionately affect marginalized groups, during medical school at Brown and her internal medicine residency at UCSF. She then moved to Los Angeles, where she completed a four-year fellowship program in infectious diseases and clinical/translational research at UCLA. It was at UCSF and UCLA that she was first drawn to and then affirmed her affinity for the community of infectious diseases and HIV clinicians, researchers, and community members who are committed to addressing and reducing health disparities through patient care, science, and advocacy. With the support of great mentors throughout her training, her research experiences evolved from initial basic science training in molecular biology and immunology to clinical research demonstrating that acceptable HCV treatment outcomes could be achieved amongst incarcerated populations, to her current work that integrates clinical research and clinical trials with laboratory-based measures to understand mechanisms of disease.

Kara’s current projects focus on the contribution of HCV co-infection to cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected persons and the potential for HCV treatment to modify cardiovascular risk. Additional projects focus on the barriers to treatment of HCV with direct-acting antivirals (DAA) amongst HIV-infected persons and implementation of HCV DAA treatment integrated with HIV testing and treatment/ linkage to care in resource limited settings with high rates of injection drug use. She is committed to supporting HIV researchers in Los Angeles in developing and executing patient-focused research projects, whether clinical, behavioral, or basic science-based, through the UCLA Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) Clinical Research Facilitation Core and UCLA CARE Center.

In addition to conducting research, Kara sees patients at the UCLA CARE Clinic and the To Help Everyone (T.H.E.) Health and Wellness Centers. She loves having a relationship with her patients and being part of a great team of providers and staff at the clinics, where they jointly work to improve and protect the health and safety of their patients.

Kara loves living in Los Angeles for its weather because it allows her to enjoy the outdoors nearly year-round. She loves the mountains, ocean, art, and music, and the casual nature of Los Angeles, where – for the most part – anything goes. She also enjoys getting on the tennis courts when she can.

Each month, we’re featuring a member of our CHIPTS family and their work! To see past spotlights, check them out on the spotlights page  and make sure to check back to see who we feature next!

Erik Storholm, PhD is a core affiliate in the Combination Prevention Core at CHIPTS. He is an Associate Behavioral Scientist at the RAND Corporation and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. He is also a scholar in the UCLA HIV/AIDS, Substance Abuse and Trauma Training Program and an affiliate research scientist in the Department of Research and Evaluation at Kaiser Permanente Southern California.  In addition to conducting research, Erik maintains an active private practice in West Hollywood, CA where he sees patients.

Erik’s work in health disparities began 15 years ago in San Francisco when he was volunteering at HIV/AIDS service organizations conducting outreach interventions to help document and reduce the spread of the virus among high-risk minority communities. This work stimulated his interest in understanding human behavior, decision-making, structural sources of inequality, and propelled his interest in health disparities research.  Over the years, he has had the privilege of working with hundreds of participants spanning the spectrums of race, ethnicity, class, age, sexual orientation, and HIV diagnosis status.  As he listens to his participants put their lives into words, Erik hears true testaments of resiliency and strength, as well as, countless stories of trauma, loss, discrimination, disempowerment, and unequal access to healthcare, employment, and education. These health disparities that fall along racial and ethnic lines have been impossible to ignore. It is this work that has fostered Erik’s desire to dedicate his life’s work to conducting health disparities research that promotes equality, empowerment, social justice, and equal opportunity while reducing health disparities among members of marginalized communities. This research has underscored his commitment to unmasking the integral role of socially produced ills such as stigma, discrimination, and lack of access to resources in the development and exacerbation of mental health problems, substance use, and HIV/STI disparities.

Erik recently completed a study assessing changes in risk perception and behavior, substance use, and medication adherence among young sexual minority men prescribed pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV infection.  His primary research interests are all within the area of health disparities, specifically in clinical interventions that focus on mental health, substance abuse, and the prevention of HIV/STI transmission among high-risk minority populations. Currently, Erik is leading several NIH-funded projects in the area of combination biobehavioral HIV prevention intervention design and evaluation, PrEP uptake and adherence among minority communities.

Erik enjoys traveling, hiking, eating great food, and exploring new neighborhoods in Los Angeles.  He is also an avid snowboarder and tries to hit the slopes whenever he can. He is active in psychological communities and spends most of his free time with his best friends in Los Angeles and New York City.

Each month, we’re featuring a member of our CHIPTS family and their work! To see past spotlights, check them out on the spotlights page and make sure to check back to see who we feature next!

Michael Li’s first introduction to public health was as a volunteer for a non-profit HIV services organization after completing his undergraduate education in molecular biology at the University of California, Irvine. His interest in the humanistic aspects of health grew from his involvement with vulnerable communities, eventually shifting his career to infectious disease case management and community health program management.  Throughout his studies, working towards a Master’s degree in Public Health at California State University, Fullerton and eventually his PhD in Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California, Michael expanded upon his first-hand experiences to explore questions about how social and environmental factors impact health among sexual, gender-based, and racial minority communities.

After receiving his doctorate degree in 2017, Michael joined the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA as a postdoctoral scholar in addiction medicine under Dr. Steve Shoptaw.  His current research focus is in elucidating the effects of minority stress on stress biology and addiction, as well as their long-term implications for HIV infection and management of disease. He is investigating these research questions through an mSTUDY pilot and a large cohort study of patients in the Medical Care Coordination program in Los Angeles County. Michael has applied to the UCOP Fellowship and also plans to apply for an NIH K Award to advance his academic career in addiction medicine. In the near future, Michael hopes to work as an independent researcher in an academic setting where he can continue addressing the impact of society, human suffering, and biological systems on addiction.

Outside of work, Michael and his husband regularly attend dharma talks, practice meditation, and volunteer at their Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist temple in Orange County. On the side, they run a small woodworking business where they handcraft home décor and furnishings. They have two adorable dogs who love taking walks, receiving belly rubs, and eating peanut butter!

Each month, we’re featuring a member of our CHIPTS family and their work! To see past spotlights, check them out on the spotlights page and make sure to check back to see who we feature next!

Emeka Okafor, PhD is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the Division of Infectious Diseases, in the Departments of Medicine and Family Medicine at UCLA.  After receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, he moved to Jacksonville to pursue his Master’s degree in Public Health at the University of North Florida. He then attended the University of Florida where he completed his doctoral program in epidemiology.  His research broadly focuses on biobehavioral epidemiology of drug use in persons living with or at-risk for HIV. In his research, Emeka was able to characterize long-term patterns and predictors of marijuana use and its impact on cognitive function and HIV-related clinical outcomes.

In September, 2016, Emeka moved to Los Angeles to begin his postdoctoral training at UCLA, focusing his research on understanding the biobehavioral pathways that link drug use to HIV-disease progression and behavioral treatment approaches for drug addiction. As part of his training, he plans to develop an expertise in developing, implementing, and evaluating behavioral treatments for drug addiction in vulnerable populations. Emeka’s long-term goal is to develop an independent research program at UCLA focused on drug addiction and HIV prevention among vulnerable groups. He’s currently working on a K01 proposal to study the mental health and clinical implications of medical marijuana use in persons living with HIV.

Emeka is also involved in other research activities linked to the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine, including leading a sub-study under the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) 085 that aims to understand barriers to participating and retaining in HIV prevention clinical trials. Emeka’s involvement with HPTN recently deepened as he was selected for the HPTN Scholar program to study HIV status disclosure patterns and associations with HIV sexual risk behaviors among African American men who have sex with men.

Emeka is also quite active and enjoys playing soccer, ping-pong, and scrabble and loves heading to the outdoors for a hike with his wife when he’s not working. When he’s not listening to his favorite genres of hip-hop, reggae, and alternative R&B, he is likely watching his all-time favorite TV shows Prison Break, Breaking Bad, Narcos, or Game of Thrones!

Each month, we’re featuring a member of our CHIPTS family and their work! To see past spotlights, check them out on the spotlights page and make sure to check back to see who we feature next!