Dr. Lapa e Silva, M.D., Ph.D is a Professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and has been extensively involved in research and training through NIH R01 and ICOHRTA AIDS/TB funding since 1996, collaborating with many U.S. institutions. He also has experience in research and teaching administration, coordinating the Internal Medicine Graduate Program at UFRJ and as the National Coordinator of Medicine of the Brazilian Post-Graduate system (CAPES). His research investigates the pathogenesis of lung disease, including TB, and the mechanisms by which microbes circumvent innate and adaptive host immunity. This includes work on immunogenetic involvement in TB pathogenesis. Starting in 1994, he has collaborated with several U.S. investigators on different projects involving tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.