H. Clifford Lane, M.D.
NIAID Deputy Director, Clinical Research and Special Projects
Director, Division of Clinical Research
H. Clifford Lane, M.D., serves as the Clinical Director and Deputy Director for Clinical Research and Special Projects for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Lane’s responsibilities include directing the activities of the Division of Clinical Research, which supports and coordinates both intramural and extramural research involving human volunteers.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Lane received his undergraduate education and medical training at the University of Michigan. Following a residency in internal medicine, he joined the NIH in 1979 for fellowship training in infectious diseases and immunology and has been there since.
In 1985, he was appointed NIAID Deputy Clinical Director, and in 1989 he became the chief of the Clinical and Molecular Retrovirology Section in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation, a position he still holds. In 1991, Dr. Lane became clinical director of NIAID and in 2006 Director of the newly established Division of Clinical Research. He also functions as the NIAID liaison with the U.S. Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. He initially served as a member of the U.S. Public Health Service, attaining the rank of Rear Admiral/Assistant Surgeon General.
In the laboratory, Dr. Lane’s primary research interests are in the areas of human immunology, HIV/AIDS and emerging infectious diseases. His early work involved studies aimed at dissecting the normal immunoregulatory mechanisms that control the human immune response to specific antigen challenges. When the AIDS epidemic emerged, he became one of the first investigators to study immunopathogenic mechanisms of HIV disease, ultimately making seminal observations that helped establish the field of HIV immunopathogenesis. His HIV research activities also include large-scale, international clinical trials. In the area of emerging infectious diseases, he has been involved in studies of unexplained fever, influenza, Ebola, COVID-19 and mpox. Dr. Lane has partnered with host country governments to establish clinical research programs in Mali, South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, Liberia, Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Dr. Lane co-chairs the U.S. HHS Guidelines Panel for the Use of Antiviral Drugs in Adults and Adolescents with HIV Infection and co-chaired the NIH Treatment Guidelines Panel for COVID-19.
Dr. Lane is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Association of Immunologists. He is a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a Master of the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Lane has received a number of awards and honors including the U.S. Public Health Service Distinguished Service Medal, the DHHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service, recognition by the Institute for Scientific Information as a Highly Cited Researcher, the Chevalier de I’Ordre National du Mali, the First Rosenthal Award from American College of Physicians, the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Michigan, and the Paul A. Volker Career Achievement Medal from the Partnership for Public Service.