UM School of Medicine's Kathleen M Neuzil Elected as Member of Prestigious National Academy of Medicine

Dr. Neuzil Has Played an Important Leadership Role in Bridging Science and Policy to Serve the World’s Most Vulnerable Populations

Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), in recognition of her pivotal research that has informed and shaped global vaccine and public health policy. Her membership was announced at the annual NAM meeting in Washington, D.C., placing her among the 2,178 U.S. members of this important organization.

Membership in the Academy is considered one of the highest honors for individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care and public health.

Dr. Neuzil, who is also the Division Head for Geographic Medicine at UMSOM, a member of the UMSOM Executive Committee, and Chair of the Dean’s Culture Transformation Advisory Committee, is one of the world’s most influential research scientists and advocates in vaccine development and policy. She currently serves as the only U.S. member of the World Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE).

“This is an extraordinarily well-deserved recognition for Dr. Neuzil and for her leadership in academic medicine,” said E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine. “Dr. Neuzil’s pathbreaking vaccine and global health research has been preeminent in shaping and accelerating the most important global vaccine policies, impacting millions of people worldwide every year. She is most deserving of this high honor.”

Throughout her career, Dr. Neuzil has conducted pivotal clinical and epidemiologic research, yielding high profile publications that inform policy decisions and public health actions. At the global non-profit PATH, she was instrumental in the introductions of rotavirus, HPV, and Japanese encephalitis vaccines into low resource countries. At UMSOM’s CVD, she leads a large Gates-funded consortium (TyVAC) to accelerate the introduction of typhoid vaccines into low resource countries and has a robust influenza research program, including a Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Center (CIVIC) Clinical Core to develop and test more broadly reactive and longer lasting influenza vaccines. Her research capabilities are complemented by 20 years of involvement in domestic and international policy.

“This is truly an honor to be a member of the National Academy of Medicine,” said Dr. Neuzil, who is also dedicated to training and mentoring the next generation of global health and vaccinology researchers.

Over the course of her career she has received numerous awards. Among them, in 2018 she was named in the Daily Record Maryland’s Top 100. In 2016, she received the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Distinguished Alumna Award, and in 2014 she was named by Vaccine Nation as “One of 50 Most Influential Persons in Vaccines.”

Dr. Neuzil received her BS (Summa cum laude) in Zoology from the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her MD AOA (Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society) from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and her MPH from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Neuzil completed her residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine now has several current members of the National Academy of Medicine: William T. Carpenter, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Former Director of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center; Claire M. Fraser, PhD, The Dean’s Endowed Professor, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Institute for Genome Sciences; Robert C. Gallo, MD, the Homer and Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine and Co-Founder & Director, Institute of Human Virology; Howard Goldman, MD, Professor of Medicine; Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH, the Simon and Bessie Grollman Distinguished Professor, Associate Dean for Global Health, Vaccinology and Infectious Diseases, and Founding Director, Center for Vaccine Development & Global Health; E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, UM Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean, University of Maryland School of Medicine. PhD, MBA; and Donald E. Wilson, MD, Dean Emeritus, University of Maryland School of Medicine; and now Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health.

About the National Academy of Medicine (NAM)

New NAM members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. The newly elected members bring NAM’s total membership to 2,178 and the number of international members to 159.

Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding. With their election, NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their service in National Academies activities.

About the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Now in its third century, the University of Maryland School of Medicine was chartered in 1807 as the first public medical school in the United States. It continues today as one of the fastest growing, top-tier biomedical research enterprises in the world -- with 43 academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs; and a faculty of more than 3,000 physicians, scientists, and allied health professionals, including members of the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and a distinguished recipient of the Albert E. Lasker Award in Medical Research.  With an operating budget of more than $1 billion, the School of Medicine works closely in partnership with the University of Maryland Medical Center and Medical System to provide research-intensive, academic and clinically based care for more than 1.2 million patients each year. The School has over 2,500 students, residents, and fellows, and more than $540 million in extramural funding, with most of its academic departments highly ranked among all medical schools in the nation in research funding. As one of the seven professional schools that make up the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus, the School of Medicine has a total workforce of nearly 7,000 individuals. The combined School and Medical System (“University of Maryland Medicine”) has an annual budget of nearly $6 billion and an economic impact more than $15 billion on the state and local community. The School of Medicine faculty, which ranks as the 8^th highest among public medical schools in research productivity, is an innovator in translational medicine, with 600 active patents and 24 start-up companies. The School works locally, nationally, and globally, with research and treatment facilities in 36 countries around the world. Visit medschool.umaryland.edu