Kathleen M. Neuzil, MD, MPH, is associate director for international research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the first female director of the Fogarty International Center. An internationally recognized research scientist and advocate in the field of vaccinology, she has played a central role in the domestic and global response to COVID-19. Throughout her career, she has conducted clinical and epidemiologic studies on vaccine-preventable diseases including influenza, rotavirus, human papillomavirus, Japanese encephalitis, and typhoid, yielding high-profile publications that inform policy decisions and public health actions. As a co-principal investigator of the National Institutes for Health-funded Leadership Group for the Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit network, Neuzil is part of the strategic team evaluating COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics in the US and was part of the study team who designed the first COVID-19 clinical vaccine trial in the US. She also directs TyVAC, the Typhoid Vaccine Acceleration Consortium, with the goal to accelerate the introduction of typhoid conjugate vaccines into low-resource countries. She has more than 280 scientific publications on vaccines and infectious diseases. Her research capabilities are complemented by 20 years of involvement in domestic and international policy, including past membership on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. She is a member of the World Health Organization Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and the prestigious National Academy of Medicine. Prior to her current role at NIH, she was the Myron M. Levine Professor in Vaccinology, professor of medicine and pediatrics, and director of the Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.