Meet Dr. Manhattan "Man" Charurat, Director of the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) Division of Epidemiology and Prevention and Global Director for the Center of International Health, Education, and Biosecurity (Ciheb). With his steady energy and focus, Dr. Charurat can quickly summarize what he does: "I help sick people get better in many places in the world." said Man. Thinking globally is second nature due to all of Dr. Charuat's traveling while growing up. Not only did he visit family in Thailand regularly, but also his father’s career in foreign affairs meant living in places like Egypt, India, and England. As fate would have it, during high school summer break in Thailand, Man met one of his first mentors – Dr. Kenrad Nelson. 

"I had the opportunity to go see the work he's doing in Chiang Mai where at the time HIV was exploding, and we don't know a whole lot about how it's being transmitted (or) how people are managing their disease," recalls Man. "(I) Worked for a couple of weeks during the summer, and one piece of advice Ken gave to me was if I want to pursue public health, I got to go to Hopkins.” Which he did. After graduating college, Man reached out to Dr. Nelson to come to Baltimore; the rest is history. 

Man would go on to meet another mentor, Dr. William A. Blattner, who inspired and taught him to work outside the box. It began with studies of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and later publishing on the ability of highly effective antiretroviral treatment of the mother to eliminate pediatric transmission and later documented the adverse consequences of “mixed” feeding of African infants. "In the early days of tackling the HIV epidemic with Bill, here in the U.S., we saw it was hitting hardest pregnant women in Baltimore and inner cities across the country; especially pregnant women using drugs were acquiring it at a high rate,” said Dr. Charurat. “With using highly active antiretroviral drugs, it was possible to knock down transmission from 30% to 2%; so basically, at the verge of eradicating transmission of mother-to-child HIV in the U.S. back in the early 2000s. That was one of the greatest things to see.”

Now that work is replicated with global partners to assist multiple African communities.

But it's not just his impressive credentials that make Dr. Charurat stand out. At home, Man can be found expressing his other talents. "I like working with my hands. Many who know me know I like to cook. I am the cook for my family" Man met his wife, who currently works at Jhpiego, in graduate school at Johns Hopkins University. There is still a dispute about who first initiated a conversation. They have two children who love Star Wars, science, and swimming. Another talent: "I like fixing things," chuckles Man. "A bad generator, I'll fix your carburetor for free, so anything working with hands. The biggest thing I've done is an HVAC system." 

And despite his busy schedule, he still finds time to give back.

"Mentorship is key. No matter how old you are, you should always be a mentor and a mentee," said Man. "I'd like to see the next generation. I've always embraced that concept of paying it forward because I appreciate the ones who did it for me. I would love to be able to see that." 

If you want to sit where Man is at, here is what you need: "Have grit. I think grit is a quality that goes above persistence. Persistence, to me, is short-lived and a response to external stimuli," says Man. "Grit runs in your veins; regardless of whatever is happening, you will take the same approach because you're so determined. After much reflection, grit is an absolute quality to have built in your character."

Read Recommendations from Man:

From Good to Great by Jim Collins

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear