Infectious Diseases Fellowship Faculty

Dr. Pepe graduated from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University (Philadelphia, PA). She completed her residency in internal medicine and fellowship training in infectious diseases at Hahnemann University Hospital (Philadelphia, PA). For more than ten years, she has been a faculty member in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Cooper. Her interests include HIV infection, travel medicine, and quality improvement.

John D. Baxter, MD, is Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Medical Director of the Early Intervention Program at Cooper University Health Care. He is Professor of Medicine at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. Dr. Baxter attended medical school at Pennsylvania State University–Hershey Medical Center and completed his medicine residency at the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. He completed his Infectious Diseases Fellowship Program at Cooper University Health Care.

Dr. Baxter has participated in NIH-sponsored HIV clinical trials since 1994, initially as the Southern New Jersey Principal Investigator for the Community Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS (CPCRA), and subsequently for the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG). He currently serves as the Site Leader and Network Laboratory Principal Investigator for the International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials (INSIGHT) network.

Dr. Baxter has conducted many research studies in the area of HIV/AIDS, published numerous scientific papers and lectured widely on the subject of HIV clinical management. He has expertise in antiretroviral clinical trials and the clinical application of HIV resistance testing. He was protocol chair of the CPCRA GART study, one of the first studies demonstrating the clinical utility of genotypic resistance testing in patients failing antiretroviral therapy. His research findings have influenced the treatment guidelines for care of HIV-infected individuals.

Dr. Baxter is a member of multiple professional organizations including the American College of Physicians, International AIDS Society, Infectious Diseases Society of NJ, and the Coriell Institute Institutional Review Board. He has served on a number of data safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) and expert guidelines panels. He currently chairs the Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (CMSRU) Appointments and Promotions Committee, the Cooper Research Bioethics Committee, and the Cooper Institutional Conflict of Interest Committee.

Dr. Baxter is an award-winning clinician recognized regionally and nationally for his abilities. He has been repeatedly named “Top Doc” in every major publication in the region including Philadelphia Magazine, New Jersey Monthly, South Jersey Magazine, U.S. News and World Report and Inside Jersey Magazine. In addition, he has been recognized as one of the “Best Doctors in America.” Dr. Baxter has a special interest in HIV medical care, HIV drug resistance, HIV clinical trials and general infectious diseases.