Professor Victor J. DZAU, MD, was born in China and grew up in Hong Kong. He is President of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine (NAM), vice chair of the U.S. National Research Council, chancellor emeritus of Duke University, and past CEO of Duke Health System. Previously, Dr. Dzau was the Hersey Professor and Chairman of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, as well as Chairman of Medicine at Stanford University. He is one of the most influential leaders in health and is recognized globally for a highly decorated career as a physician scientist, administrator, and leader.
His groundbreaking work in cardiovascular medicine and genetics laid the foundation for the development of ACE inhibitors — lifesaving drugs used globally to treat hypertension and heart failure. He pioneered gene therapy for vascular disease and was the first to introduce DNA decoy molecules in humans in vivo. In leading research on cardiovascular regeneration, Dr. Dzau developed the Paracrine Hypothesis of stem-cell action and the strategy of direct cardiac reprogramming.
As a visionary healthcare leader, Dr. Dzau has set an inspiring example, developing initiatives to transform and improve healthcare locally and globally. He believes that health and science leaders should be engaged in developing solutions to broad-reaching social challenges that affect us all. At the NAM, he leads a strategy of innovation and equity. Under his tenure, the NAM has advanced important initiatives such as the Commission on a Global Health Risk Framework, the International Human Gene Editing Initiative, Vital Directions for Health and Health Care, the Grand Challenge in Climate Change and Human Health, and the Action Collaborative for Translating Emerging Science, Technology, and Innovation in Health and Medicine. As a leader in academic medicine, he has recently advanced the model of “Bench to Bedside to Population to Society” to include population health, social mission, and equity in the academic mission.
A leader in global health, Dr. Dzau launched the Duke Global Health Institute and Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, founded the Division of Global Health Equity at Harvard, and chairs the International Advisory Board of McGill’s School of Population and Global Health. Among other activities, he co-chairs the G20 High-Level Independent Panel on pandemic financing, the Regional Vaccine Manufacturing Collaborative, and the International Pandemic Preparedness Science and Technology Expert Panel. He serves on WHO and World Bank’s Global Preparedness Monitoring Board, was co-chair of the G20 Scientific Panel on Global Health Security, and was on the board of the Coalition of Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation.
