Dr. Victor J. Dzau is a globally acclaimed physician scientist currently serving as President of the National Academy of Medicine and Vice Chair of the National Research Council. He holds the distinguished position of Chancellor Emeritus and James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Duke University, where he previously served as Chancellor for Health Affairs and President and CEO of the Duke University Health System. Before his tenure at Duke, Dr. Dzau held prominent leadership roles as the Hersey Professor of Theory and Practice of Medicine and Chairman of Medicine at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital, as well as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. Born in Shanghai, he received his Bachelor of Science in Biology and MD degree from McGill University, completing his medical residency at what is now Brigham and Women's Hospital where he founded the Division of Vascular Medicine.
Dr. Dzau's seminal research in cardiovascular medicine laid the foundation for the development of ACE inhibitors, which have become globally essential medications for treating hypertension and heart failure. His pioneering work in gene therapy for vascular disease established him as a leader in the field, becoming the first researcher to introduce DNA decoy molecules in humans in vivo. His groundbreaking research on cardiac regeneration led to the development of the Paracrine Hypothesis of stem cell action, fundamentally changing the understanding of how stem cells function in cardiac tissue. More recently, his innovative strategy of direct cardiac reprogramming using microRNA represents a transformative approach to repairing damaged heart tissue without traditional stem cell transplantation.
As President of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Dzau has spearheaded influential initiatives including Vital Directions for Health and Health Care, the Action Collaborative on Countering the US Opioid Epidemic, and the Grand Challenge in Climate Change and Human Health & Equity. He has championed global health equity through founding the Duke Global Health Institute, Duke NUS Medical School in Singapore, and the Division of Global Health Equity at Harvard. His leadership extends internationally as he chairs scientific advisory committees for the Qatar Precision Health Institute and serves on advisory boards for institutions worldwide. Dr. Dzau continues to direct an active NIH-funded research laboratory while shaping the future of medicine through his vision for integrating precision health approaches with global health equity imperatives.
