NFID Announces 2021-2022 Board of Directors

Bethesda, MD (July 8, 2021)—The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ruth Lynfield, MD, of the Minnesota Department of Health, as NFID Secretary and the election of Orin S. Levine, PhD, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to the 2021-2022 NFID Board of Directors. In addition, NFID Treasurer Kevin Rooney of QOL Medical and Sara E. Cosgrove, MD, MS, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have been re-elected to the Board of Directors.

NFID Secretary Ruth Lynfield, MD, is state epidemiologist and medical director at the Minnesota Department of Health and co-principal investigator of the Minnesota Emerging Infections Program. She has conducted numerous infectious disease investigations and outbreak responses, developed surveillance systems, and conducted public health research, evaluation, and planning. Her research focuses on emerging infections, antimicrobial resistance, and prevention of infectious diseases, including vaccine effectiveness studies. “The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of educating the public and healthcare professionals about infectious disease prevention and treatment, and it has highlighted the need to address inequities in health outcomes,” said Dr. Lynfield. “The mission of NFID has never been more timely or relevant, and I look forward to serving as NFID Secretary.”

Dr. Levine oversees four teams at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that focus on delivery of interventions to reduce child and maternal mortality, limit the spread of vaccine-preventable disease, and promote equitable health outcomes. Previously, he was a tenured professor of international health and executive director of the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has also served as president of the Committee on Global Health at the American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene.

NFID Treasurer Kevin Rooney is executive vice president of Commercial Operations at QOL Medical in Raleigh, NC. Previously, he was president of Beacon Consulting Group where he worked with biopharmaceutical companies to drive greater value by addressing strategic business opportunities and issues. Throughout his career, he has had an extensive track record of successful sales and marketing leadership roles in the biopharmaceutical industry. He successfully launched products into the anesthesia, cardiovascular, and infectious disease therapeutic areas, and has managed products through the end of their respective lifecycles.

Dr. Cosgrove is a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and has a joint appointment in the Department of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She serves as director of the Department of Antimicrobial Stewardship and associate hospital epidemiologist at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her research interests include the epidemiology and outcomes of antimicrobial resistance, the development of tools and programs to promote the rational use of antimicrobials, the prevention of hospital-acquired infections, and the epidemiology and management of S. aureus bacteremia.

The NFID Board of Directors also expresses appreciation to outgoing Secretary H. Keipp B. Talbot, MD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and Cynthia G. Whitney, MD, MPH, of Emory University.

The complete list of the 2021-2022 NFID Board of Directors is below. These renowned leaders in public health officially began responsibilities on July 1, 2021. As the governing body, the Board of Directors establishes the strategic direction for NFID, ensures that annual goals are met, and provides financial oversight for the organization.

2021-2022 NFID Board of Directors

• Joseph A. Bocchini, Jr., MD, NFID Immediate Past-President, Willis-Knighton Health System
• Cristina Cassetti, PhD, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, NFID Federal Liaison
• Sara E. Cosgrove, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• Tamera Coyne-Beasley, MD, MPH, University of Alabama Birmingham
• Monica M. Farley, MD, Emory University School of Medicine
• Jeffery A. Goad, PharmD, MPH, NFID Vice President, Chapman University School of Pharmacy
• Lisa S. Ipp, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine New York-Presbyterian
• Orin S. Levine, PhD, of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Ruth Lynfield, MD, NFID Secretary, Minnesota Department of Health
• Julie Morita, MD, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine
• Kevin Rooney, NFID Treasurer, QOL Medical
• S. Shaefer Spires, MD, Duke University Hospital
• Patricia A. Stinchfield, MS, CPNP, NFID President-Elect, Children’s Minnesota
• Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD, NFID President, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Ex-Officio:

• Marla Dalton, PE, CAE, NFID Executive Director and CEO
• William Schaffner, MD, NFID Medical Director

About the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

Founded in 1973, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to educating the public and healthcare professionals about the burden, causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases across the lifespan. Visit www.nfid.org for more information.

Contact: Diana Olson, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, dolson@nfid.org, (301) 656-0003×140