Kathleen Neuzil

Dr. Kathleen Neuzil leads the foundation’s efforts to eradicate polio and strengthen the health systems that support immunization and disease surveillance.

With more than 25 years of experience in global vaccine development, implementation, and policy, Kathleen joined the foundation in 2025 from the National Institutes of Health, where she served as associate director for international research and director of the Fogarty International Center. In the latter role, she oversaw a US$95 million annual budget and advanced global health research and training programs across the agency.

Previously, Kathleen was at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she was the Myron M. Levine Professor in Vaccinology, director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, and chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine. Earlier in her career, she served on the faculty at the University of Washington and led vaccine development programs at PATH, including for influenza, rotavirus, human papillomavirus (HPV), and Japanese encephalitis.

Kathleen has led numerous large-scale clinical trials of influenza, typhoid, HPV, COVID-19, and other vaccines, often in low- and middle-income countries. Her work has directly shaped global and national immunization policies through longstanding collaborations with the World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

Kathleen is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of both the American College of Physicians and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She has authored more than 350 scientific publications.

Kathleen earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and an M.D. from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She completed her residency and an infectious disease fellowship at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she also earned an MPH.