Matthew Memoli
Matthew Memoli | |
|---|---|
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| Acting Director of the National Institutes of Health | |
| Assumed office January 22, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | Lawrence A. Tabak |
| Preceded by | Monica Bertagnolli |
| Personal details | |
| Education | College of William & Mary Thomas Jefferson University (MS) St. George's University (MD) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Infectious diseases |
| Institutions | National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases |
Matthew J. Memoli is an American physician-scientist and infectious disease researcher serving as the acting director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2025. He was the director of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) Clinical Studies Unit in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Education
[edit]Matthew J. Memoli graduated from the College of William & Mary with an undergraduate degree.[1] He earned a M.S. in microbiology from Thomas Jefferson University in 1998.[1]
Memoli obtained a M.D. in 2002 from St. George's University School of Medicine.[1] Following medical school, he completed a residency in internal medicine at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center via Georgetown University School of Medicine.[1] He completed a fellowship in infectious diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).[1]
Career
[edit]Memoli joined NIAID, where he established a clinical and translational research program focused on influenza and respiratory viruses.[1] He serves as the director of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) Clinical Studies Unit, located at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Maryland.[1] His research includes studies on human influenza pathogenesis, respiratory viruses, influenza transmission, and broadly protective vaccines.[1]
In 2011, under Memoli's leadership, the LID Clinical Studies Unit revived influenza healthy volunteer challenge studies in the United States after a decade-long hiatus.[1] The unit developed the first FDA-approved H1N1 influenza challenge virus and has been instrumental in developing validated models for influenza research and the evaluation of new vaccines and therapeutics.[1] Memoli has conducted human challenge studies to better understand influenza pathogenesis, correlates of protection, and predictors of severe disease.[1] Recent efforts include studies on universal influenza vaccines and emerging viral infections like Dengue, Zika, and Leishmaniasis.[1]
In 2021, Memoli gained attention for his opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates within the NIH. He argued that population-level vaccination strategies could impede the development of natural immunity and favored targeted vaccination for high-risk groups.[2][3] Memoli participated in an ethics debate on vaccine mandates hosted by the NIH in December 2021.[2]
On January 22, 2025, Memoli was appointed acting director of the NIH by the Trump administration.[3][4] During his direction in early 2025, the NIH suffered from confusion and chaos regarding details of purchasing and conducting research [5].
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Matthew J. Memoli, M.D., M.S." National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b Barnes, Adam (November 8, 2021). "Senior NIH expert pushes back on growing vaccine mandates". The Hill. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
- ^ a b Boodman, Eric; Oza, Anil (2025-01-24). "Veteran researcher who was critical of U.S. response to Covid named acting NIH head". STAT. Retrieved 2025-01-26.
- ^ "The NIH Director". National Institutes of Health (NIH). Retrieved 2025-01-26.
- ^ https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-memo-addresses-confusion-about-restrictions-imposed-trump-easing-some-concerns
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Institutes of Health.
| Authority control databases: Academics |
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- Living people
- College of William & Mary alumni
- Thomas Jefferson University alumni
- St. George's University alumni
- Physician-scientists
- 21st-century American physicians
- 21st-century American biologists
- American microbiologists
- Directors of the National Institutes of Health
- American medical researchers
- American infectious disease physicians
- COVID-19 researchers
- Second Trump administration personnel