Dr. Stephen J. Galli is a distinguished immunologist and pathologist who has made seminal contributions to understanding mast cells and basophils in health and disease. He currently serves as the Mary Hewitt Loveless, MD Professor and Professor of Pathology and of Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he has been a faculty member since 1999. Prior to joining Stanford, Dr. Galli held professorships at Harvard Medical School and directed the Division of Experimental Pathology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His academic foundation includes a BA in biology from Harvard College in 1968, a BMS from Dartmouth Medical School in 1970, and an MD from Harvard Medical School in 1973, followed by residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Massachusetts General Hospital completed in 1977.
Dr. Galli's pioneering research has fundamentally advanced our understanding of mast cells and basophils as critical effector cells in allergic disorders, with particular emphasis on their roles in anaphylaxis, food allergies, and asthma. His laboratory developed innovative animal models that have become essential tools for studying the developmental biology and functional significance of these immune cells in pathological conditions and host defense mechanisms, including protection against venoms. His work established mast cells not merely as pathological players in allergy but also as important components of innate and acquired immunity, reshaping the field's conceptual framework. Dr. Galli's investigations into biomarkers, such as surface structure changes on circulating basophils, have provided clinicians with valuable tools for monitoring disease severity and therapeutic responses in allergic disorders.
As a leader in his field, Dr. Galli served as president of the American Society for Investigative Pathology from 2005 to 2006 and the Collegium Internationale Allergologicum from 2010 to 2014, significantly shaping research directions and professional standards in immunology. His tenure as Chair of Stanford's Department of Pathology from 1999 to 2016 and co-directorship of the Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine from 2009 to 2016 demonstrated exceptional administrative leadership and vision for interdisciplinary research. Dr. Galli has trained countless researchers and clinicians throughout his career, establishing a renowned career development program at Stanford that has nurtured generations of pathologists and immunologists. His election to the National Academy of Medicine and receipt of prestigious awards including the NIH MERIT Award and the ASIP's Rous-Whipple Award underscore his enduring impact on biomedical science and his continued contributions to advancing immune cell biology.
