Lou Cortina
About Kathleen Neuzil
Neuzil is the Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and has been director of its Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) since 2015. An internationally renowned researcher, Neuzil is sought after by the news media as a vaccine expert and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, an elite honor reserved for individuals who have made major contributions to advancing medical science, health care, and public health.
Impact
Neuzil has conducted clinical and epidemiologic studies on vaccines for infectious diseases and been instrumental in the global implementation of vaccine programs throughout her career, most recently for typhoid fever. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Neuzil and CVD led trials and coordinated with research sites across the country in work that ultimately led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines. She has served on many prestigious policy and scientific advisory committees including currently as part of the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.
Quotes
“Dr. Neuzil is a thought leader who has made pivotal contributions toward advancing the clinical science of vaccines against respiratory viruses, rotavirus, and, more recently, typhoid fever. She is a compelling speaker and advocate who seizes on critical issues and motivates the actions needed to evaluate and implement public health interventions.” — Karen Kotloff, MD, Distinguished University Professor, UMB, and John A. Scholl, MD and Mary Louise Scholl, MD Professor of Pediatrics, UMSOM
“My current focus is to foster the research careers of the next generation of vaccine scientists. The experience of the worst global pandemic in more than a century — and the positive impact of vaccines on its trajectory — emphasize the imperative of fully supporting our early-career scientists.” — Neuzil
