Benson Edagwa

Benson Edagwa, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), Omaha.

His long list of honors reads like a Christmas shopping list: 

2020 New Investigator Award, University of Nebraska Medical Center

2020 Nickolus Badami Fellowship in HIV/AIDS Research

2019 Emerging Innovator of the Year, UNeMed Corporation

2016 ViiV Healthcare Distinguished Scientist, ViiV Healthcare

2015 UNeMed Research Innovation: New Invention Notifications, Patent Applications, UNeMed Corporation

2015 ViiV Healthcare Fellowship, ViiV Healthcare

2014 Young Investigator Fellowship, CROI Foundation

2014 GSK Fellowship, GlaxoSmithKline

2013 Silver U Award, University of Nebraska Medical Center

2012 Teaching Assistant Scholar Award, Louisiana State University

2011 Kiran Allam International Award, Louisiana State University

2010 Dr. Charles Coates Travel Award, Louisiana State University

Prof Edagwa recently invented a game-changing technique that would allow people living with HIV to take ARVs after every six months or once a year.

The revolutionary process will eventually replace the gruelling daily drug taking routine, and lead to better adherence.

He holds 13 patented inventions and is also a listed inventor on 13 pending patent applications.

With HIV and tuberculosis especially prominent in Kenya, Dr. Edagwa wanted to pursue his post-doctoral training in infectious diseases.

Dr. Edagwa now has seven graduate and two post-graduate students in his laboratory. In addition to his HIV research, the team has been working on modifying molecules to develop new medicines for hepatitis B and Covid-19.