Dr. Ellis is Professor of Neurosciences and a physician scientist whose laboratory and clinical work seeks to delineate how pathological interactions between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its human host result in nervous system diseases such as dementia and peripheral neuropathy. These virus-host interactions are revealed in part by studies of HIV ribonucleic acid (RNA) and other biological markers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). By better understanding virus-host interactions, Dr. Ellis and his colleagues at the HIV Neurobehavioral Research Programs (HNRP) at UCSD hope to design interventions to better treat and prevent neuroAIDS.