Dr. Tobian is a physician-scientist and Professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins University, Director of the Division of Transfusion Medicine, and Clinical Laboratory Director for the hospital laboratories at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Dr. Tobian and his research group focus on improving the understanding of HIV and other transfusion transmitted infections to develop innovative interventions for improved prevention.  Over the past 20 years, Dr. Tobian has lived or worked in five developing countries. Dr. Tobian is PI of a 2,000 person clinical trial in Uganda evaluating pathogen reduction technology to reduce transfusion transmitted infections and co-PI of the Johns Hopkins Clinical Trial Unit in Uganda performing HIV clinical trials.  He has been an investigator with the Rakai Health Sciences Program in Uganda for >15 years evaluating the mucosal immunology in tissue permitting HIV acquisition, the synergy between STIs and HIV acquisition, and male circumcision to reduce the acquisition of HIV, herpes simplex virus type-2 (HSV-2), and high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV).  These projects have involved large international multi-country studies, which included a study with reporting requirements to a Technical Advisory Group consisting of members from USAID, PEPFAR, CDC, Department of Defense, WHO, and UNICEF.  In addition, within six weeks of President Obama signing the HOPE Act permitting HIV positive organ transplantation for people living with HIV in the United States, Dr. Tobian established the multi-center HOPE core laboratory to support the evaluation of whether HIV-infected renal and liver allografts can be safely transplanted into transplant recipients living with HIV. 

Dr. Tobian is also highly involved within the community. He is Section Editor for UpToDate, founding Editor-in-Chief of the website Transfusion News and served on the Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) Board of Directors culminating in being President.