John Koethe, MD, MSCI, is Director of the Tennessee Center for AIDS Research, a physician-scientist whose research spans basic, clinical, and population science to improve the health of people living with HIV, and a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC). He is also a practicing infectious diseases physician and investigator at the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System. Dr. Koethe earned his BA in Philosophy from Oberlin College before receiving his MD from Yale University School of Medicine. He completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital, followed by fellowship training in Infectious Diseases and a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. As Director of the Tennessee CFAR, he works to advance innovative HIV research by bringing together scientists, clinicians, public health leaders, and community partners to improve the lives of people living with HIV throughout Tennessee, the Southeastern United States, and beyond.

For more than two decades, Dr. Koethe has combined patient care with clinical and translational research aimed at improving the long-term health of people living with HIV. His research is guided by a commitment to ensuring that advances in HIV treatment are matched by advances in preventing and managing the chronic health conditions more common in aging people with HIV. His research team seeks to understand why people with HIV remain at increased risk for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions despite effective antiretroviral therapy. In particular, his group investigates how HIV-related changes in the immune system and adipose (fat) tissue influence metabolism and the health of the liver and skeletal muscle, with the goal of identifying new approaches to prevent and treat disease in these areas. He leads multidisciplinary research programs supported by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and has extensive experience directing national and international collaborative studies, including multicenter clinical trials through the Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally (ACTG) network. Dr. Koethe has also served as the primary mentor for more than two dozen research trainees, many of whom have gone on to establish successful independent research careers. Through his leadership of the Tennessee CFAR, Dr. Koethe is committed to fostering interdisciplinary partnerships, supporting the next generation of HIV investigators, and ensuring that scientific discoveries translate into better prevention, treatment, and long-term health outcomes for people living with HIV.