Elias A. Zerhouni
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Elias Zerhouni (
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
: إلياس زرهوني, born April 12, 1951) is an Algerian-born American scientist, radiologist, biomedical engineer, entrepreneur, and pharmaceutical industry executive. He was the 15th Director of the
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
(NIH). Zerhouni spent part of his career on the faculty of the
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a Private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 1893 following the construction of the Johns Ho ...
, serving as an executive vice dean from 1996 to 2002. He served as the 15th director of the
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
from May 2, 2002, to October 31, 2008, under the
George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...
. In 2009, under the
Obama administration Barack Obama's tenure as the 44th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2009, and ended on January 20, 2017. Obama, a Democrat from Illinois, took office following his victory over Republican nomine ...
, he was one of the first presidential science envoys, working to foster scientific and technological collaboration with other nations. He was a senior fellow for the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be List of wealthiest charitable foundations, the third largest char ...
from 2009 to 2010. From January 2011 until his retirement on June 30, 2018, he was president of global research and development at the
pharmaceutical company The pharmaceutical industry is a Medicine, medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or Self-medicate, self-administered b ...
Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. The corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 200 ...
. In October 2020, Zerhouni co-founded ModeX Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company developing multi-specific immune therapies for cancer and infectious diseases. In 2022, ModeX was acquired by OPKO Health, and Zerhouni was appointed president and vice chairman of OPKO Health.


Education and career

Zerhouni was born on April 12, 1951, in Nedroma,
Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...
. He grew up during the
Algerian War The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...
of Independence. After earning his M.D. from the
University of Algiers The University of Algiers 1 (), commonly called Benyoucef Benkhedda, is a public research university based in Algiers, Algeria. Founded in 1909 from the amalgamation of different French colonial educational institutions, it has become the oldes ...
School of Medicine in 1975, Zerhouni emigrated to the United States to study
radiology Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...
at the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 1893 following the construction of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, th ...
. His initial residency, sponsored by the Algerian government, became a formal residency program. He subsequently held positions within the radiology department, including chief resident and assistant professor. From 1981 to 1985, he was vice chair of the Department of Radiology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and its affiliated DePaul Hospital. In 1985, Zerhouni returned to Johns Hopkins as co-director of body CT and MRI and was promoted to associate professor. He was appointed director of the MRI division in 1988 and promoted to full professor in 1992. In 1995, he also became a professor of biomedical engineering at Hopkins. In 1996, Zerhouni was named chair of the radiology department at Johns Hopkins. Zerhouni was appointed executive vice dean of the
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM) is the medical school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established in 1893 following the construction of the Johns Hopkins Hospital, th ...
in 1996, serving as vice dean for Clinical Affairs and president of the Clinical Practice Association (1996-1999) and vice dean for Research (1999–2002). In the early 1980s, Zerhouni established Computerized Imaging Reference Systems (now part of Mirion Technologies), which manufactures tissue-equivalent phantoms used in medical imaging and radiation therapy. He also established the Advanced Medical Imaging Institute, an integrated outpatient medical imaging center. Zerhouni co-invented an image-guided breast
biopsy A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, interventional radiologist, an interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiology, interventional cardiologist. The process involves the extraction of sampling (medicine), sample ...
method for diagnosing
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
, which led to the creation of Biopsys Medical (acquired by
Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical technologies corporation headquartered in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Its common stock is a c ...
in 1997). He also established American Radiology Services, an expansion of Johns Hopkins outpatient radiology. Zerhouni served on the
National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...
's Board of Scientific Advisors (1998-2002), was a consultant to the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...
under President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
(1985), and was a consultant to the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
(1988).


National Institutes of Health (2002–2008)

Zerhouni was appointed Director of the
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
(NIH) by President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
. He was confirmed by the Senate in April 2002 and served until October 2008. He was the first immigrant to serve as NIH Director. During his tenure, the agency's activities included: # Establishing the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. # The passage of the NIH Reform Act of 2006. # Supporting the NIH Neuroscience Blueprint. # Establishing an NIH-wide research initiative on obesity. # Prioritizing research into health disparities. # Helping create the Working Group on Women in Biomedical Careers. # Supporting research related to women's health and the development of a vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV). # Ensuring public access to NIH-funded research results. # Creating the NIH Director's Pioneer Award Program and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award in 2007. # Reforming peer review to support early-stage investigators. Zerhouni is on the board of the
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by the US Congress in 1990. Located in North Bethesda, MD, the FNIH raises private-sector funds, and creates and manage ...
.


Legion of Honour, Presidential Envoy, Senior Fellow

In 2008, French President
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
awarded Zerhouni the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
's highest order of merit, for fostering collaboration between the
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
and the
Pasteur Institute The Pasteur Institute (, ) is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who invented pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax and rabies. Th ...
. In 2009, he served as a presidential science and technology envoy. He also served as a senior fellow for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation from 2009 through 2010. During this period, the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...
and ''Science'' magazine launched '' Science Translational Medicine'', of which Zerhouni was a founding editor. He also served on the board of Actelion Pharmaceuticals.


President, Global R&D of Sanofi

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. The corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 200 ...
appointed Zerhouni as the head of Research and Development in 2011. He retired from Sanofi in June 2018.


Foundation work and corporate boards

Following his retirement from Sanofi, Zerhouni joined several boards, including the
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization established by the US Congress in 1990. Located in North Bethesda, MD, the FNIH raises private-sector funds, and creates and manage ...
, Research! America, and the Lasker Foundation. He also became a founding board member of the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative (DAC). Zerhouni joined the management board of Waypoint Capital (now B-FLEXION, chaired by Ernesto Bertarelli), and continued to serve on the board of
Danaher Corporation Danaher Corporation is an American global conglomerate founded in 1984 by brothers Steven and Mitchell Rales. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the company designs, manufactures, and markets medical, industrial, and commercial products and ...
.


ModeX and OPKO Health

In 2020, Zerhouni co-founded ModeX Therapeutics with R&D leaders Gary Nabel, Zhi-yong Yang, Ronnie Wei, Chih-Jen Wei, and Elizabeth Nabel. ModeX focuses on multi-specific biologic drugs for cancer and infectious diseases. The ModeX portfolio includes cancer
immunotherapies Immunotherapy or biological therapy is the treatment of disease by activating or suppressing the immune system. Immunotherapies designed to elicit or amplify an immune response are classified as ''activation immunotherapies,'' while immunotherap ...
and programs developing treatments for viral diseases such as
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...
,
SARS-CoV-2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had the Novel coronavirus, provisional nam ...
, and a vaccine for Epstein-Barr virus. In 2022, ModeX was acquired by OPKO Health, and Zerhouni was appointed President and vice chairman of OPKO Health. In 2023, ModeX signed a deal with
Merck & Co Merck & Co., Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada. It is one of the ...
to develop an EBV vaccine. That same year, ModeX was awarded a contract from the U.S.
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) is a center within the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) located within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) responsible for the p ...
(BARDA) to advance candidates addressing public health threats from viral infectious diseases. In 2025, ModeX announced the dosing of the first participant in the Phase I study of an EBV vaccine candidate being developed with Merck & Co.


Memberships

Zerhouni served on the board of trustees of the
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST; ') is a Private university, private research university located in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2009, the university provides research and graduate training programs in English ...
. Zerhouni is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and U.S. National Academy of Engineering, an emeritus public trustee of the
Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...
, a member emeritus of the Radiological Society of North America, professor emeritus of radiology and biomedical engineering at
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
, a member of the board of fellows of Stanford Medicine, and a member of the board of directors of Research! America, the Foundation for the NIH, and the Lasker Foundation. He is also a founding board member of the Davos Alzheimer's Collaborative and a member of the French Academy of Medicine.


References


External links

*
KAUST Board of Trustees
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zerhouni, Elias 1951 births Living people Directors of the National Institutes of Health American radiologists Algerian emigrants to the United States American people of Algerian-Berber descent Muslims from Maryland Zerhounia, Elias Knights of the Legion of Honour University of Algiers alumni Algerian academics Algerian physicians Radiologists People from Nedroma Sanofi people Members of the National Academy of Medicine George W. Bush administration personnel