50 Years of Education, Prevention, and Impact

For 50 years, NFID has been educating and engaging the public, communities, and healthcare professionals about infectious diseases across the lifespan.

  • Education: NFID provides evidence-based, impactful programs to educate multi-disciplinary healthcare professionals and empower them to improve health outcomes
  • Prevention: NFID has been a leader in raising awareness about the importance of infectious disease prevention. NFID also strives to prevent the spread of misinformation by promoting health literacy.
  • Impact: Each year, NFID educates thousands of healthcare professionals and reaches millions through awareness campaigns to support the vision of healthier lives for all

NFID will continue to lead for the next 50 years and beyond, as we continue to educate and engage, and impact millions of lives.

NFID History

In early 1973, several individuals in the Infectious Disease Division at the Medical College of Virginia shared the belief that there should be a non-governmental organization or foundation to help support research, education, and prevention of infectious diseases. With similar foundations existing to support research and education related to birth defects, cystic fibrosis, cancer, heart disease, and kidney ailments, why not a similar organization for infectious diseases? At the same time, the National Institutes of Health was ending some of its training grants, reallocating its priorities, and drastically cutting back extramural research funding, leading to the creation of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) as a non-profit Virginia corporation.

Those individuals remained active in NFID for many years:

Dr. Smith Shadomy served as a founding NFID Director and was active with the organization until his death in 1991.

Dr. Richard J. Duma was NFID President from 1976-1991 and also served as its third executive director from 1991-1994. He served for the next nine years as an NFID trustee, six years as an NFID Director, and is now Director Emeritus.

Dr. H. Jean Shadomy served as Secretary/Treasurer and then Secretary of NFID for more than 20 years, and served an additional term as an NFID trustee.

Dr. John P. Utz was the first NFID President and served as vice president for 18 years. He was called back into service as president from 1991-1994 and continued to sit on the NFID Board of Directors as its president emeritus until 2004. Dr. Utz died in 2006.

NFID Leadership

Presidents

John P. Utz, MD (1973-1976)

Richard J. Duma, MD, PhD (1976-1991)

John P. Utz, MD (1991-1994)

President Emeritus (1995-2004)

Leon G. Smith, MD (1994-1997)

Herbert L. DuPont, MD (1997-1999)

Ronald Lee Nichols, MD (1999-2001)

Susan J. Rehm, MD (2001-2004)

Donald M. Poretz, MD (2004-2006)

Carol J. Baker, MD (2006-2008)

George C. Hill, PhD (2008-2010)

William Schaffner, MD (2010-2012)

Thomas M. File, Jr., MD (2012-2014)

Patrick Joseph, MD (2014-2016)

Walter A. Orenstein, MD (2016-2018)

Joseph A. Bocchini, Jr., MD (2018-2020)

Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD (2020-2022)

Patricia A. Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP (2022-2024)

Board of Trustees Chairs

Ernest Mario, PhD (1988-1992)

Charles A. Sanders, MD (1992-1994)

Paul G. Rogers (1994-2000)

Chairman Emeritus (2000-2008)

Roger W. Baker (2000-2001)

Guy B. Williams (2001-2005)

C. Douglas Webb, Jr., PhD (2005-2012)

Executive Directors

Robert F. Acker, PhD (1981-1986)

William E. Small (1986-1989)

Richard J. Duma, MD, PhD (1991-1994)

Leonard Novick (1995-2013)

Marla Dalton, PE, CAE (2013-present)

NFID Senior Executive Director

William J. Martone, MD (1995-2003)

NFID Medical Director

Susan J. Rehm, MD (2004-2015)

William Schaffner, MD (2015-2023)

Robert H. Hopkins, Jr., MD (2023-present)