Victor Dzau

Victor J. Dzau, MD is the President of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly the Institute of Medicine (IOM), US. In addition, he serves as Vice Chair of the National Research Council.  

Dr. Dzau is Chancellor Emeritus and James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke University and the past President and CEO of the Duke University Health System. Previously, Dr. Dzau was the Hersey Professor of Theory and Practice of Medicine and Chairman of Medicine at Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as well as Chairman of the Department of Medicine and Director of the Falk Cardiovascular Research Center at Stanford University.

Dr. Dzau has made a significant impact on health and medicine through his seminal research in cardiovascular medicine and genetics and his leadership in health innovation. His important work on the renin angiotensin system (RAS) paved the way for the contemporary understanding of RAS in cardiovascular disease and the development of RAS inhibitors as widely used, lifesaving drugs. His pioneering research in cardiovascular regeneration led to the Paracrine Hypothesis of stem cell action and the strategy of direct cardiac reprogramming. In his role as a leader in health, Dr. Dzau has led efforts in innovation to improve health, including the founding of the Harvard BWH Division of Global Equity, the International Partnership in Innovation in Healthcare, the Duke Translational Medicine Institute, the Duke Global Health Institute, the Duke-National University of Singapore Graduate Medical School, and the Duke Institute for Health Innovation, and recently participated in the founding of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovation.

As one of the world’s preeminent health leaders, Dr. Dzau advises governments, corporations, and universities worldwide. He has served as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and as Chair of the NIH Cardiovascular Disease Advisory Committee. Currently, he chairs the Steering Committees and Science Advisory Boards of the NHLBI Progenitor Cell Biology & Translational Consortia. He is a member of the Board of the Singapore Health System; Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar; and the Advisory Council of Imperial College Health Partners. He serves on the Health and Biomedical Sciences Council of Singapore and Chairs the International Science Advisory Committee of the Qatar Genome Project and Qatar Biobank. He chairs the Scientific Boards of the Peter Munk Cardiac Center, University of Toronto; and Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow. He served on the Board of Health Governors of the World Economic Forum and chaired its Global Agenda Council on Personalized and Precision Medicine.

Since arriving at the National Academies, Dr Dzau has emphasized leadership, innovation, and impact. He has led important initiatives such as the Global Health Risk Framework for the Future, the Human Gene Editing Initiative, Vital Directions for Health and Healthcare, and Grand Challenges in Health and Medicine. His vision is to advance science, medicine, and policy to improve health globally.

Among his many honors and recognitions are the Gustav Nylin Medal from the Swedish Royal College of Medicine, the Distinguished Scientist Award from the American Heart Association, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Poulzer Prize of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the Henry Freisen International Prize. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He has received 11 honorary doctorates.