I am honored to begin my tenure as Chief Executive Officer of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) and deeply grateful for the warm welcome I have received from the NFID leadership, partners, and my predecessor, Marla Dalton. Thanks to her leadership, NFID is widely recognized as a trusted and respected voice in public health. It is humbling and inspiring to build on that legacy.

NFID mourns the loss of R. Gordon Douglas, Jr., MD, recipient of the 2000 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement for his pioneering work as an infectious disease specialist, acclaimed vaccinologist, and public health advocate. Revered for his ability to fuse academic brilliance, scientific innovation, and industry leadership, he helped redefine vaccine science in a career that included leadership positions at Weill Cornell Medical College and Merck Vaccines. He was a founding editor of the textbook, Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Disease. His decades of service overseeing the launch of critical vaccines, including those for varicella and hepatitis A, leave an enduring legacy that continues to shape global health.

NFID honors the memory of George H. McCracken, Jr. MD, recipient of the 2004 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement, whose novel clinical research transformed the treatment of infectious diseases in infants and children worldwide. In investigating how to balance the effectiveness and toxicity of certain drugs, he devised methods to combat disease while tempering harmful side effects. His international, multi-center neonatal meningitis study was one of the first of its kind. Among other innovations, he discovered that the use of steroids prior to administration of antibiotics could prevent deafness and decrease morbidity associated with bacterial meningitis in children.

NFID mourns the loss of Larry K. Pickering, MD, former NFID treasurer and 2016 recipient of the John P. Utz Leadership Award for his role as a mentor, advisor, teacher, and friend to many in the field. Revered for his dedication to supporting the next generation of public health professionals, he served as executive secretary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), was appointed to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee of the National Vaccine Program Office, and was senior adviser to the director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. A leader in pediatric infectious disease research, he served as editor of 5 editions of the Red Book of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

NFID Director Orin S. Levine, PhD, was recently appointed President and CEO of the Washington Research Foundation (WRF), in recognition of his internationally recognized leadership and innovation in public health and global immunization. A former senior leader at the Gates Foundation, he directed global immunization and primary healthcare programs and served as the Gates Foundation representative on the boards of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative. He also co-founded the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, dedicated to accelerating vaccine access for children in low-income countries.

NFID Past President, former medical director, and current spokesperson William Schaffner, MD, has received the 2025 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation David E. Rogers Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. A widely recognized and respected expert on vaccination, infectious disease, and public health and safety, he has long been a go-to expert for national and international media outlets who value his ability to communicate clearly and cogently about best practices for preventing and treating infectious diseases. He served more than 40 years with the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, work that helped improve vaccine access and administration for children and adults in underserved communities.

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