Faculty
Timothy Flanigan
Professor of Medicine:
Bio Med Medicine
Phone: +1 401 793 7152
Timothy_Flanigan@Brown.EDU
Read Timothy Flanigan's full Faculty Research Profile.
Timothy P. Flanigan has spearheaded a program of modified, directly-observed therapy for HIV treatment for individuals who are marginalized and would otherwise not receive the benefit of new combination HIV treatments. A pilot program for active substance abusers to provide community based treatment strategies has been cited nationally. This work has received funding through an RO1 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Pilot programs to extend these community based therapies for pregnant women and persons leaving prison have begun.
Biography
Dr. Flanigan is the Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rhode Island and The Miriam Hospitals and Brown Medical School.
He came to Brown Medical School in 1991 to help establish a network of primary care for HIV infected individuals with a particular focus on women, substance abusers and individuals leaving prison.
Dr. Flanigan developed the HIV Core Program at the State Prison to provide care for HIV infected individuals and link them to community based resources upon release. Over 70% of individuals in Rhode Island who are HIV infected link with primary medical care at The Immunology Center.
Dr. Flanigan is the PI on The Miriam/Brown AIDS Clinical Trials Unit to develop more effective therapies for the treatment of HIV. He is also associate director of The Miriam/Brown Fogarty Program which trains and mentors overseas investigators in HIV/AIDS.
He was the recipient of a community health leadership award from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the development of outstanding primary care for underserved HIV infected individuals. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from Salve Regina University for his support of educational opportunities for children of incarcerated parents.
Interests
Timothy P. Flanigan's initial research focused on parasitic infections including Schistosoma mansoni and Cryptosporidium parvum. As effective therapy for HIV became available, Cryptosporidiosis which is a leading cause of diarrheal illness in persons with AIDS has disappeared. Dr. Flanigan subsequently shifted his research focus to HIV care in underserved communities, particularly substance abusers, women, inner-city communities and incarcerated men and women. His early work demonstrated the feasibility of linking individuals with HIV in prison and jail to care in the community after release. The success of this program led to the implementation nationwide of programs of integrated case management that linked HIV-infected persons with medical care upon release. Importantly, among women with HIV, recidivism rates were reduced with this intervention.
Timothy P. Flanigan has since focused on the importance of routine testing for HIV in underserved communities. Approximately ¼ of the HIV infected individuals in this country are unaware of their condition and are not receiving medical care. Programs are underway to evaluate routine HIV testing (and in certain cases rapid testing) in jails, universities, TB clinics, and the primary care setting.
Timothy P. Flanigan has spearheaded a program of modified directly observed therapy for HIV treatment for individuals who are marginalized and would otherwise not receive the benefit of our new combination HIV treatments. A pilot program for active substance abusers to provide community based treatment strategies is ongoing and has been cited nationally. This work has been presented at the Infectious Disease Society of America, the Conference on New Advances in HIV Therapies sponsored by the American Federation for AIDS Research, and the National Retroviral Conference, and received funding through an RO1 from the National Institutes of Health. Pilot programs to extend these community based therapies for pregnant women and persons leaving prison have begun.
Degrees
MD
Teaching
Dr. Flanigan precepts medical students, residents and fellows in HIV care at The Miriam Hospital Immunology Center as well as at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institute. He lectures on HIV/AIDS therapies both in the United States and internationally.
