Hugh Auchincloss, M.D.
Former NIAID Principal Deputy Director
Dr. Auchincloss served as NIAID Principal Deputy Director from 2006 to 2024. He stepped into additional leadership roles, assuming the responsibilities of NIAID Division of Intramural Research Acting Director from 2014 to 2015 and NIAID Acting Director from 2022 to 2023. His stewardship and expertise were instrumental in maintaining continuity and excellence within NIAID, and his commitment to its mission and staff continued through the welcoming of its new director, Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, in 2023.
During his tenure, he provided leadership for all NIAID research planning and implementation activities, including helping to prepare and support a strategic vision for NIAID. He oversaw an extensive portfolio of basic, clinical, and applied research, as well as product development for biodefense, HIV/AIDS, infectious diseases, and immune-mediated disorders.
Dr. Auchincloss played a key role in supporting the institute’s research initiatives. His leadership activities included spearheading the development of the institute’s strategic plan and chairing the NIAID Research Initiative Committee to design and implement a more efficient approach to planning, developing, and approving NIAID initiatives. He also led an NIAID initiative to design and implement changes in the institute’s clinical research infrastructure, which will be flexible and available for domestic and international clinical research on HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases. Additionally, Dr. Auchincloss was part of an NIAID senior leadership group responsible for reviewing all aspects of HIV/AIDS research policy, including the evaluation of “test and treat” strategies, analysis of results of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) clinical trials (including microbicide trials), and coordination of future HIV/AIDS vaccine clinical trials.
Dr. Auchincloss was active on many federal and NIH-wide committees, including the Trans-Federal Task Force on Optimizing Biocontainment Oversight, the National Security Strategy/Office of Science and Technology Policy on Optimizing Biological Select Agents and Toxins Working Group, and the National Biodefense Science Board. He was co-chair of the International Clinical Research Subcommittee of the NIH Global Health Research Working Group and a member of the NIH Institute and Center Directors Clinical and Translational Science Awards Advisory Board. Since 2006, he served as the NIH point of contact for the Emergency Use Authorization program to facilitate public health preparedness and response.
Recognized for his exceptional contributions and service to the scientific community, Dr. Auchincloss received several awards throughout his career, including two awards from the American Association of Immunologists—the Distinguished Fellows award in 2015 and the Public Affairs Recognition Award in 2020—for his vital role in advancing biomedical research.
Perhaps his most significant service was his exceptional leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic, steering the institute through a historic transition after the departure of former NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci after nearly 40 years.
Prior to joining NIAID, Dr. Auchincloss was a transplant surgeon and professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. For more than 17 years, he operated a laboratory in transplantation immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. In 1998, he founded the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Center for Islet Transplantation and served as its director until 2003. He subsequently served as chief operating officer of the NIAID Immune Tolerance Network.
In 2005, Dr. Auchincloss was elected president of the American Society of Transplantation. He has authored numerous scientific articles and texts and serves on the editorial boards of several major scientific publications. He earned bachelor’s degrees in political science and economics and a master’s in economics from Yale University. He received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1976.
Dr. Auchincloss retired from federal service in September 2024. His leadership, strategic insight, and dedication to public service have not only shaped the direction of NIAID and furthered its mission to improve public health but have left a lasting impact on the scientific community and the advancement of scientific research.