NFID to Honor 3 Public Health Heroes with 2025 Awards

Honorees Include:

• Anne E. Goldfeld, MD: Visionary Physician-Scientist Transforming Global Health through Courage and Compassion
• Rino Rappuoli, PhD: Pioneering Vaccine Leader Advancing Global Public Health
• Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD: Champion of Health Equity, Access, and Community Engagement

Bethesda, MD (July 23, 2025)—The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) has announced the 2025 recipients of the prestigious NFID awards honoring outstanding individuals who have made significant and lasting contributions to public health through leadership, scientific achievement, philanthropy, and policy work. The following awards will be presented at the 2025 NFID Awards Gala in Washington, DC on October 16, 2025:

Anne E. Goldfeld, MD, of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, will receive the 2025 NFID Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Humanitarian Award in recognition of her groundbreaking contributions as a physician-scientist and humanitarian who has focused on changing the course of 2 of the deadliest epidemics of our time: tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS. A visionary leader at the intersection of science and service, her work has provided a new understanding behind the immune response to TB/HIV co-infection. Beyond the lab, Goldfeld co-founded transformative treatment and research programs in Cambodia and Ethiopia for TB, drug-resistant TB, and HIV—bringing care to some of the world’s most underserved populations. Earlier in her career, she led humanitarian responses in conflict zones and was an advocate and one of the first voices calling for a global ban of landmines. Her leadership helped change global guidelines for HIV/TB treatment, now estimated to save more than 150,000 lives annually. “Anne Goldfeld is a brilliant and creative physician-scientist, visionary, and a true humanitarian,” said Gail H. Cassell, PhD, senior lecturer, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “I have never met anyone in global public health who has made a more profound impact.”

Rino Rappuoli, PhD, of the Fondazione Biotecnopolo di Siena, will receive the 2025 NFID Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement, in recognition of his work as an innovator, scientist, and a leader in the field of microbial pathogenesis and vaccine development which has had a tremendous impact on public health. Over the past 40 years, Rappuoli has led major breakthroughs that have transformed how vaccines are developed. His work includes developing revolutionary technologies to help develop safer and more effective vaccines for diseases including Hib disease (Haemophilus influenzae type b), influenza (flu), pneumococcal disease, and whooping cough (pertussis). He pioneered a new method called reverse vaccinology, which uses genetic information to design vaccines, and led to the first successful vaccine against meningococcus B, which can cause meningitis and other dangerous infections. “Rino Rappuoli’s visionary leadership has transformed the way we discover and develop vaccines,” said Steven Black, MD, co-director of the Global Vaccine Data Network and emeritus professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. “His scientific achievements have saved millions of lives and continue to shape the future of global public health.” Rappuoli remains committed to advancing vaccines for both emerging threats and underserved populations around the world.

Patricia N. Whitley-Williams, MD, recently retired from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, will receive the 2025 John P. Utz Leadership Award in recognition of her longstanding service to NFID and her unwavering commitment to advancing health equity and community engagement in vaccine research and communication. A nationally respected pediatric infectious disease expert, Whitley-Williams has served NFID in numerous leadership roles, including as past president. An active member of the Pediatric Section and the Vaccine Advisory Committee of the National Medical Association, she has been an advocate for updating physicians from communities of color and promoting immunizations in marginalized communities. As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service organization, she is engaged in community outreach. Beginning her career when pediatric HIV was first discovered, her work has spanned from pre-antiretrovirals to prevention of mother-to-child transmission to HIV prevention. She has mentored many pediatricians, residents, and medical students. Board-certified in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases, she is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Patricia Whitley-Williams is the voice of the people, a champion for women, people of color, and those new to medicine,” said NFID Immediate Past-President Patricia (Patsy) A. Stinchfield, RN, MS, CPNP. “She has been a tireless advocate for ensuring that vaccine clinical trials reflect the full diversity of the populations they are intended to protect and has worked to expand access to accurate, trustworthy information through outreach to underserved communities.”

Public Health Heroes To Be Honored at NFID Black-Tie Gala

The awards will be presented at the 2025 NFID Awards Gala and Silent Auction, a black-tie fundraising event scheduled for October 16, 2025, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available online at www.nfid.org/2025Gala. All contributions support the NFID vision of healthier lives for all through effective prevention and treatment of infectious diseases.

Nominations for the 2026 awards will open in early 2026. Additional information will be available at www.nfid.org/awards.

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 and engaging the public, communities, and healthcare professionals about infectious diseases across the lifespan. NFID has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and has earned a Platinum transparency seal from Candid/GuideStar. For more information, visit www.nfid.org.

Contact: Diana Olson, communications@nfid.org