Dr. Grace Karo

Dr. Grace Karo is a senior physician in the Department of Internal Medicine at Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH), specialising in the management of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and their co-infection — a particularly critical medical challenge in Papua New Guinea, which has the highest HIV prevalence in the Pacific region. With 11 years of experience, Dr. Karo is one of a small group of dedicated internists managing the complex infectious disease burden at PNG's national referral hospital.

Dr. Karo leads the HIV Clinic at PMGH, which manages over 800 patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), and co-leads the TB/HIV Integration Programme in collaboration with the PNG National Department of Health and international partner organisations including the Global Fund and WHO. She is an advocate for patient-centred HIV care and reducing stigma in PNG communities.

Dr. Karo is also experienced in managing the rising burden of non-communicable diseases — hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease — which are increasingly prevalent in PNG's urban population and add complexity to the management of patients living with HIV.

Dr. Karo completed her MBBS at the University of Papua New Guinea School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She subsequently completed postgraduate training in internal medicine and achieved Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom (MRCP UK).

She holds a Certificate in HIV Medicine from the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM) and has completed advanced training in TB management through the Stop TB Partnership. She undertook a clinical attachment in the HIV/Infectious Diseases Department at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, focusing on advanced ART management and co-infection treatment.

Dr. Karo's principal clinical expertise is the comprehensive management of HIV/AIDS, including initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART), management of treatment failure and drug resistance, prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections (including cryptococcal meningitis, PCP pneumonia, and CMV disease), and HIV-associated malignancies.

In tuberculosis, Dr. Karo manages standard and drug-resistant TB (including MDR-TB and XDR-TB), with particular expertise in TB/HIV co-infection — a lethal combination that is particularly prevalent in PNG's Highlands and coastal regions. She also manages viral hepatitis B, which is highly prevalent in PNG, and its interaction with HIV and ART choices.

Dr. Karo is dedicated to serving Papua New Guinea's communities through clinical research that addresses HIV and TB — two of PNG's most devastating health burdens. She has contributed to publications in the Papua New Guinea Medical Journal and the International Journal of STD & AIDS, and has presented research on ART outcomes and TB/HIV co-management at Pacific regional health conferences.

She collaborates with the PNG National Department of Health, WHO PNG Country Office, UNAIDS, and the Global Fund on programmatic evaluations of PNG's HIV response. She is a participant in the Pacific Community (SPC) HIV Technical Working Group.

Dr. Karo's practice is focused on the local PNG population, where the disease burden is most acute. PMGH receives referrals of HIV and TB patients from provincial hospitals across Papua New Guinea. Patients with extremely complex presentations or those requiring specialist investigations unavailable in PNG are referred through established pathways to Queensland hospitals in Australia.

Patients from Solomon Islands or other Pacific nations with HIV requiring specialist input may be referred to PMGH through regional health authority channels. Dr. Karo's team is experienced in managing patients who have received initial ART prescriptions from other Pacific health services.

Dr. Karo has received recognition from the PNG National Department of Health for her leadership of PMGH's HIV Clinic and her contributions to the national HIV response. She received a UNAIDS Pacific Young Clinician Commendation for clinical and advocacy contributions to HIV care in PNG, and the PNG Medical Society Award for Excellence in Infectious Disease Medicine.