Kathleen Neuzil, MD, MPH, a former faculty member and distinguished alumna of the Vanderbilt MPH Program, has been appointed director of the Fogarty International Center (FIC) and associate director for international research at the National Institutes of Health.
Known internationally for her contributions to the fields of infectious diseases, epidemiology, and global health, Neuzil is the first woman to hold the permanent FIC directorship since the center’s founding in 1968. The FIC addresses global health challenges through innovative and collaborative research and training programs.
Current 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, she is expected to join NIH in early May.
Neuzil earned her MD from Johns Hopkins University and completed residency and fellowship training at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She was an assistant professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at VUMC from 1994 until 1998, the year she earned her master’s degree in public health from Vanderbilt.
In 2016, she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in recognition of her numerous research and policy contributions to global health and vaccine development.
“The superb training that I received at Vanderbilt in medicine and public health has provided the foundation for my career,” Neuzil said. “Most importantly were my team of mentors who created opportunities, celebrated my achievements, and guided me through challenges long after I left Vanderbilt.
“At Fogarty, I aim to likewise support scientific careers and open doors for others around the globe, at a time when the world is facing many challenges,” she said. “Vanderbilt is a unique community, and I am grateful for my many years there.”