Dr. Holmes chairs the Department of Global Health, is the Director of the University of Washington Center for AIDS and STDs (a WHO Collaborating Center), and Principle Investigator for the NIH-funded UW/FHCRC Center for AIDS Research, which has over 550 members, including faculty, research scientists, and pre- and post-doctoral fellows. He is also PI for the UW International Training and Education Center on Health (I-TECH), with HIV-related programs in 20 countries throughout the world.

Dr. Holmes has participated in research on STIs for 45 years and in research, training, and technical assistance on HIV/AIDS and other STIs in Africa, Latin America, SE Asia, and the Western Pacific for over 25 years. He has participated in the design and conduct of 40 randomized controlled trials of STI treatment and prevention. His research has addressed the clinical epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of bacterial, viral, and other STIs and STI-related clinical syndromes. He has trained and/or mentored over 100 scientists involved in HIV/STI research and care in the U.S. and other countries throughout the world. Dr. Holmes was a winner of the 2013 Canada Gairdner Global Health Award for his global scientific contributions to the field of sexually transmitted diseases and their effective treatment and prevention.