# Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24)

> **NIH NIH K24** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $122,036

## Abstract

The current proposal is a competitive renewal of a K24 Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-
oriented research for Mark S. Sulkowski, MD of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Dr. Sulkowski is an infectious disease-trained clinical investigator at Johns Hopkins University
where he is a Professor of Medicine and directs a highly productive clinical research program
focused on the intersection of HIV, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and substance use. His research is
supported by an NIH R01 and the NIH-funded AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG); he serves as
the Chair of the ACTG Hepatitis Transformative Sciences Group. During his time at Johns
Hopkins, he has made substantial scientific contributions to the development of revolutionary HCV
treatments. His work has also significantly advanced the clinical management of HCV disease in
persons living with HIV infection. Current HCV therapies can cure more than 95% of individuals
who are successfully linked to care and initiate treatment including individuals with HIV coinfection
and those who use drugs. However, in 2013, the annual HCV-related mortality surpassed the
combined number of deaths from 60 other infections reported to the Centers for Disease Control,
including HIV. While HCV-related deaths are most common in older adults with long-standing
HCV, the United States has also witnessed the resurgence of new HCV infections in young adults
as the result of the injection opiate epidemic. In 2017, the National Academy of Medicine
concluded that treating all persons with chronic HCV would reduce new infections by 90% and
HCV-related deaths by 65% by 2030. To achieve this ambitious goal, strategies to prevent and
cure HCV in persons who inject drugs are urgently needed. Renewal of this K24 is critical to Dr.
Sulkowski's plan to investigate such strategies. Project aims include new collaborative research
to evaluate the role of injection networks in HCV treatment and prevention and to assess the
feasibility of HCV clinic-based buprenorphine-naloxone to increase concurrent treatment of HCV
and opiate use disorders. For progress to be made toward achieving the Academy's goals, young
clinical investigators are also needed. During the initial K24 period, Dr. Sulkowski had over 67
publications; the majority of which included young investigators who are pursuing careers in
academic research. Renewal of this K24 award is critical to his desire to continue to mentor junior
researchers in the key fields of HIV and HCV and to continue to evolve his research through new
training in substance abuse research. The protected time afforded by this award is essential to
Dr. Sulkowski achieving these goals.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10133573
- **Project number:** 5K24DA034621-09
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mark Sebastian Sulkowski
- **Activity code:** K24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $122,036
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2012-04-15 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10133573

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10133573, Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (Parent K24) (5K24DA034621-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10133573. Licensed CC0.

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