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Matthew J. Memoli, M.D, M.S., took office on January 22, 2025, as acting director of the ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥. Dr. Memoli was appointed by acting secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Dorothy A. Fink, M.D. On November 26, 2024, President-Elect Donald Trump nominated Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., as the 18th NIH director. The nomination awaits confirmation by the U.S. Senate.

Dr. Memoli has worked at NIH for more than 20 years, most recently serving as director of the Clinical Studies Unit within the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID), part of NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He previously served as a staff clinician in the same laboratory. 

Dr. Memoli is an internationally known expert in the field of respiratory viruses. He has won multiple awards for his work, including two NIH Director’s Awards, multiple National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Merit Awards, and a National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences Director’s Award. He also received the 2017 NIAID Outstanding Mentor Award for his work training clinical fellows and other trainees. In addition, he served on the Governor of Virginia’s Medical Advisory Board from 2022 through 2024.

The LID Clinical Studies Unit, a program developed by Dr. Memoli, conducts clinical and translational research, primarily on influenza and other respiratory diseases. His team leads clinical trials to evaluate investigational vaccines and treatments, including novel approaches developed by NIH colleagues. Dr. Memoli has also led clinical studies focused on influenza transmission and immunity, as well as research to understand better how respiratory viruses infect and cause disease in different populations. He has collaborated with researchers across NIH to develop serosurvey techniques to estimate the prevalence of certain diseases in specific populations.

Dr. Memoli is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and received his Master of Science in microbiology from Thomas Jefferson University. He completed medical school at St. George's University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in internal medicine at Georgetown University’s program at Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Memoli joined NIH in 2005 to complete his fellowship in infectious diseases.