Dr. Rinaldo’s research interests include cellular immunity to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpes virus (KSHV), hepatitis C virus, dengue virus, epidemiology of AIDS and clinical virology. He established a Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) site in Pittsburgh that investigates the natural history of AIDS in a sample of 3,000 homosexual men in Pittsburgh, called the Pitt Men’s Study.
His research also focuses on the relationship of disease progression to dendritic cell function; and reactivity of killer T cells to HIV and human herpes virus.
A mentor to over thirty graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, Dr. Rinaldo has employed and prepared students to pursue higher science positions in academia, government and industry. Dr. Rinaldo has had continuous research grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1979.
He has received awards from the Pittsburgh LGBT community and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for more than thirty years of excellence in AIDS research. Dr. Rinaldo has served nationally on the NIH AIDS Research Advisory Committee and the NIH AIDS-related Study Section.
