David R Boulware

Dr. David Boulware is an infectious disease physician-scientist with formal training in public health, clinical trials, and tropical medicine.  As a translational researcher, Dr. Boulware combines his clinical research training with basic science investigations into disease pathogenesis. His primary research interests are in meningitis in resource-limited areas including diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and quality improvement initiatives incorporating cost-effectiveness analyses in order to translate knowledge into improved care.

Dr. Boulware’s current research is focused on improving the clinical outcomes of HIV-infected persons with meningitis.  Cryptococcal meningitis is the second most common AIDS-defining opportunistic infection in Sub-Saharan Africa and the most common cause of adult meningitis. Why Cryptococcus?  During 2016, cryptococcal meningitis accounts for ~70% of adult meningitis in Uganda. Even in the U.S., the estimated incidence of 1.1 hospitalizations for cryptococcal meningitis makes this more common than all causes of bacterial meningitis combined. Prevention with targeted cryptococcal antigen screening and preemptive therapy for early disseminated Cryptococcus infection is of great interest with ongoing clinical studies and trials. Diagnostics for TB meningitis have become an emerging area of interest and research.  Dr. Boulware has active research collaborations in Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania, and Ethiopia leading a multidisciplinary, international research team which is highly collaborative in working with others.