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David M. Morens
Born1947 (age 77–78)
United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (A.B. 1969; M.D. 1973)[1]
Known forResearch on emerging infectious diseases; historical epidemiology of influenza, dengue & Lassa fever
AwardsU.S. Public Health Service Meritorious & Outstanding Service Medals; DHHS Distinguished Service Award[1]
Scientific career
FieldsVirology; Epidemiology; Infectious diseases
InstitutionsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (1976–1982)[2]
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (1982–1998)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (1998–present)[1]

David M. Morens is an American physician-scientist, medical historian and Senior Advisor to the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).[1] A career officer in the United States Public Health Service, he has investigated outbreaks from Ebola and Lassa fever to COVID-19 and publishes widely on viral pathogenesis and the history of pandemics.[3][2][4]

Early life and education

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Morens earned an A.B. in psychology (1969) and an M.D. (1973) from the University of Michigan.[1] He completed pediatrics residency at the UCSF School of Medicine and fellowship training in pediatric infectious diseases, becoming board-certified in Pediatrics (1978) and Preventive Medicine (1980).[2]

Career

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1976 – 1982)

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Commissioned into the Epidemic Intelligence Service, Morens set up national surveillance for Reye syndrome and Kawasaki disease and co-discovered the Snow Mountain strain of norovirus.[2] Stationed in Sierra Leone from 1979 to 1981, he ran clinical trials of ribavirin for Lassa fever and led epidemiologic field studies.[1] He later headed CDC’s Respiratory & Special Pathogens Branch and directed the laboratory arm of the agency’s first national AIDS case-control study.[2]

University of Hawaiʻi (1982 – 1998)

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At the University of Hawaiʻi, Morens was Professor of Tropical Medicine, Chair of Epidemiology, and laboratory director of dengue-virus projects funded by WHO and NIH. His group developed a BHK-21 neutralization assay still used for flaviviruses.[5] During this period he also published historical analyses of epidemics ranging from the Plague of Athens to 20th-century influenza.[6]

NIAID (1998 – present)

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Since 1998 Morens has advised successive NIAID directors on emerging-disease policy and pandemic preparedness.[3] He co-authored influential papers advocating universal coronavirus vaccines[7] and continues research on viral host-switching and disease pathogenesis in NIAID’s Viral Pathogenesis and Evolution Laboratory.[1]

Selected works

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  • Morens, D.M.; Fauci, A.S. (2007). "The 1918 influenza pandemic: insights for the 21st century". Journal of Infectious Diseases. 195 (7): 1018–1028. doi:10.1086/511989. PMID 17330793.
  • Morens, D.M.; Taubenberger, J.K. (2006). "1918 Influenza: the mother of all pandemics". Emerging Infectious Diseases. 12 (1): 15–22. PMC 3291398. PMID 16494711.
  • McCormick, J.B.; Morens, D.M. (1986). "Clinical observations and virologic studies of patients with Lassa fever treated with ribavirin". Journal of Infectious Diseases. 155 (3): 445–455. doi:10.1093/infdis/155.3.445. PMID 4026390.

Professional service and honors

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "David M. Morens, M.D. – Senior Advisor to the NIAID Director" (PDF). US Congress. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Editors – *Emerging Infectious Diseases*" (PDF). US Congress. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b "NIH scientist: "It's time to get really serious" about a universal COVID vaccine". Government Executive. 15 December 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  4. ^ "Editors – *Emerging Infectious Diseases*" (PDF). US Congress. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  5. ^ Morens, D.M.; Halstead, S.B. (1990). "Measurement of dengue neutralizing antibody levels in humans using a BHK-21 assay". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 28 (1): 107–113. PMC 269568. PMID 2156879.
  6. ^ Morens, D.M.; Littman, R.J. (1992). "Epidemiology of the Plague of Athens". Transactions of the American Philological Association. 122: 271–304. doi:10.2307/284374.
  7. ^ Morens, D.M.; Taubenberger, J.K.; Fauci, A.S. (2022). "Universal coronavirus vaccines — an urgent need". New England Journal of Medicine. 386 (4): 297–299. doi:10.1056/NEJMp2118468. PMC 11000439. PMID 34915735.
  8. ^ "Past Presidents – American Epidemiological Society". American Epidemiological Society. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  9. ^ "Past Chairs – American Committee on Arthropod-Borne & Zoonotic Viruses". American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  10. ^ "David M. Morens, MD – ReachMD Contributor Profile". ReachMD. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
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