Advancing HIV and cancer research: Dorothy Mangale joins AIDS malignancy consortium career program
SEPTEMBER 5, 2025
Dorothy Mangele, PhD
Dorothy Mangale, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate at WashU, has been selected to participate in the AIDS Malignancy Consortium (AMC)’s prestigious Career Enhancement Program as an AMC Scholar for the 2025-2026 term. The AMC is a national clinical trials group that aims to reduce the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of cancers occurring in people living with HIV.
The AMC Scholar program was established to encourage and foster the development of early-career clinical investigators to pursue careers in clinical research in HIV-associated malignancies. Alongside receiving fiscal support, AMC scholars are invited to participate in the scientific and clinical activities of the AMC. Scholars are also given the opportunity to present their research projects during the AMC Scholars’ Symposium and to participate in career development sessions led by the AMC Scholars Directors.
Dorothy shared that she feels “honored to be selected [for the program]. The intersection of HIV and cancer is really intriguing to me from an epidemiological and disease management perspective… and the AMC is the perfect place for me to learn more about this area. I’m eager to receive mentorship and be in spaces where I can learn new ideas and challenge my own.”
Dorothy plans to advance the work of the AMC by applying an implementation science lens to her research. She explained, “In my application, I proposed characterizing the epidemiology of cancer among people with HIV (PWH) in western Kenya and using implementation science methods to explore determinants and strategies to improve care for PWH with cancer in the oncology clinic.”
Reflecting on her research goals, Dorothy expressed “I hope this work will help fill critical knowledge gaps on the cancer burden among PWH and provide insights on patient experiences and recommendations for strategies to improve HIV testing and HIV care linkage in cancer clinics. Findings will generate new knowledge on the epidemiologic profile of PWH with cancer and guide contextually appropriate strategies for integrated care."
Dorothy is an investigator member of the Midwest D-CFAR and a mentee of Midwest D-CFAR director Elvin Geng, MD, MPH, and member Thomas Odeny, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Division of Oncology at WashU.
Written by Kate Gershwin, edited by Jacaranda van Rheenen and April Houston.