People in global health news

January/February 2025 | Volume 24 Number 1

 

NIH Director Monica Bertagnolli steps down

Dr. Monica Bertagnolli resigned as National Institutes of Health Director, a role she’s held since November 2023. (NIH director has been a presidentially appointed role since 1971.) The first surgeon to hold the title, she launched a new primary care clinical research network pilot program called Communities Advancing Research Equity for Health, or CARE for Health, to connect innovative research with routine clinical care in real-world settings. Her previous roles include director of the National Cancer Institute and chief of surgical oncology at the Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center. Dr. Matthew J. Memoli, Chief of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases Clinical Studies Unit, serves as acting NIH director.

 

Abdool Karim named in Forbes 50 over 50

Quarraisha Abdool Karim, PhD, has been named in Forbes Magazine’s first-ever 50 Women over 50 global list. The list highlights ‘women who are building wealth, creating jobs, and proving that age is not an impediment to making a lasting impact on the world.’ An expert HIV/AIDs researcher, Abdool Karim has led since 1998 the Southern African AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP), which has trained over 600 scientists. She also serves as co-founder and associate director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA).

 

NCI Director Kimryn Rathmell resigns

Dr. Kimryn Rathmell stepped down as Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a presidentially appointed role. During her tenure, she launched the Early-Onset Cancer Initiative and prioritized reducing inequities in cancer care. Rathmell came to NCI from Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she served as the Hugh Jackson Morgan Chair in Medicine, chair of the Department of Medicine, and physician-in-chief. Dr. Douglas R. Lowy, principal deputy director, serves as Acting Director of NCI.

 

Gardner receives 2025 CUGH mid-career leadership award

The Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) selected Indiana University’s Adrian Gardner, MD, MPH, for the 2025 Dr. Tom Hall-Dr. Nelson Sewankambo Mid-Career Leadership Award for his commitment to global health. Gardner is associate dean for global health at the IU School of Medicine and executive director of the Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) Consortium of 16 academic health centers working in partnership with Moi University and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya and additional new partners in Ghana, Mexico, and Nepal.

Updated February 3, 2025

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