Welcoming Dr. Kathleen Neuzil as 13th director of the Fogarty International Center
May 6, 2024
Photo courtesy of University of MarylandDr. Kathleen Neuzil
Dr. Kathleen Neuzil joined the Fogarty International Center as its 13th director on May 6, 2024. She has also been appointed associate director for international research at the National Institutes of Health.
An internationally recognized researcher, Dr. Neuzil focuses on vaccine development and vaccine introduction in low- and middle- income countries and regions. She has conducted clinical and epidemiologic studies on vaccine-preventable diseases and her scientific contributions encompass design and execution of clinical trials as well as leadership of large, multicenter field studies and vaccine implementation programs.
Dr. Neuzil's work in the field of vaccinology spans multiple infectious diseases, including influenza, rotavirus, human papillomavirus, Japanese encephalitis, typhoid, and COVID-19. She has authored or co-authored more than 340 scientific publications and has more than two decades of experience in vaccine policy. Dr. Neuzil is currently a member of the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and, previously, she served on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
First woman director of Fogarty
NIH Director Dr. Monica M. Bertagnolli said, “Dr. Neuzil has decades of experience in global health. Combined with her many years as a vaccine policy advisor to the CDC and the WHO, and her experience establishing new partnerships and directing diverse organization teams, she is very well suited to lead Fogarty.”
Immediately prior to Fogarty, Dr. Neuzil served as the Myron M. Levine MD DTPH Professor in Vaccinology, professor of medicine and pediatrics, director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, and chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Before this, she was a clinical professor in the departments of medicine and global health at the University of Washington in Seattle. Mentorship of the next generation of vaccine scientists has been a fundamental principle throughout her career; she’s committed to academic support of her trainees at all levels.
“As much as we will miss Dr. Neuzil and her extraordinary success leading the Center for Vaccine Development, I am so excited for her to have this well-deserved opportunity at NIH, and the honor to be the first woman director of Fogarty,” said Dr. Mark T. Gladwin, dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at University of Maryland, Baltimore,
in a statement.
National and international service
From 2005-2015, Dr. Neuzil worked for PATH, an international, nonprofit global health organization based in Seattle, Washington. Throughout her career, she has assisted national scientific organizations, including NIH, in various capacities. Most recently, she served on the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ Special Emphasis Panel and the institute’s Vaccine Research Center Scientific Advisory Panel. A former vice president and director on the board of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, she also has been co-director of the COVID-19 Prevention Network since it launched in 2020.
Dr. Neuzil’s numerous honors and awards include Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Distinguished Alumna Award; the Sonia Skarlatos Public Service Award from the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy; and University of Maryland School of Medicine Chairman’s Special Achievement Award. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the International Society for Infectious Diseases, and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. She is also a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
She received her undergraduate degree in zoology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She earned her medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, and completed her internship and residency at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee. While at Vanderbilt, she completed a fellowship in infectious diseases and earned her master’s in public health.
Dr. Neuzil follows Dr. Roger I. Glass, Fogarty’s longest serving director of nearly 17 years. Dr. Peter Kilmarx, acting director, will resume his role as Fogarty’s deputy director.
More Information
Read Dr. Neuzil's bio.
Updated May 6, 2024
To view Adobe PDF files,
download current, free accessible plug-ins from Adobe's website.