Cassidy W. Claassen, MD, MPH

2002              Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Bethel College

2008              Master of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

2009              Medical Doctor, University of Maryland School of Medicine

2009-2012     Internship & Residency, Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine

2013-2015     Fellowship, Infectious Diseases, University of Maryland Medical Center

As an infectious disease and public heath physician with a lifelong dedication to improving health in Africa, the main focus of my career is developing access to infectious disease treatment in resource-limited settings. I focus primarily on HIV care and treatment in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly health system capacity development. I am currently based full-time in Lusaka, Zambia where we utilize community-based interventions to increase access to HIV services. I also work as an infectious disease consultant and lecturer at the University Teaching Hospital of Lusaka, where I see patients and instruct residents in advanced ID/HIV medicine. I also work in improving access to key populations in Africa, working with MSM and CSW communities in Zambia and IVDU in Kenya. Finally, I have a strong interest in international medical education and oversee an international health rotation for fellows, residents, and students to rotate with our team here in Zambia.

HIV, global health, Africa, community-based interventions, key populations, international medical education

1. Bodnar BE, Claassen CW, Solomon J, Mayanja-Kizza H, Rastegar A. The effect of a bidirectional exchange on faculty and institutional development in a global health collaboration. PLoS One 10(3): e0119798.
2. Frosch AE, Laufer MK, Mathanga DP, Takala-Harrison S, Skarbinski J, Claassen CW, Dzinjalamala FK, Plowe CV. Return of widespread chloroquine-sensitive Plasmodium falciparum to Malawi. J Infect Dis. 2014 Oct 1; 210(7): 1110-4.
3. Claassen CW, Kekich D, Nwezu C, Ambuku A, Salami D, Gilliam B, Amoroso A. HIV Viral Dynamics of Lopinavir/ritonavir Monotherapy as Second-Line Treatment in a Resource-Limited Setting. ID Week 2015, San Diego, CA, October 2015.
4. Delva GJ, Francois I, Claassen CW, Dorestan D, Bastien B, Medina-Moreno S, Fort DS, Redfield RR, Buchwald UK. Active Tuberculosis Case Finding in Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Experiences, Results, and Implications for Tuberculosis Control Programs. Tuberc Res Treat. 2016;2016:8020745. Epub 2016 Sep 5.
5. Sheneberger R, Claassen CW, Gashongore I, Mugisa B, Musoktwane K, Chinyonga J. The Community HIV Epidemic Control (CHEC) model: A novel integration of community and facility care to achieve 90-90-90 in Zambia. 18th Annual International Meeting of the Institute of Human Virology, Baltimore, MD, September 2016.