Scientific Advisory Board Members
Scientific Advisory Board left to right: Iyadh Douagi, Ph.D. (Chair), James M. Cherry, Ph.D., Frank DeLeo, Ph.D., Pamela Guerrerio, M.D, Luigi D. Notarangelo, M.D., Sonja Best, Ph.D., Rasika Mathias, Sc.D.
Function of the Scientific Advisory Board
Scientific Advisory Board Mission
The CHI Scientific Advisory Boards (SAB) is composed of internationally recognized scientists. The membership of the Scientific Advisory Board reflects the NIH’s research spectrum. The members of the Scientific Advisory Board are appointed by the Chair of the SAB after consultation with Scientific Directors (SD) from participating institutes. In justified cases, the Scientific Advisory Board – in agreement SD may enlist additional ad hoc experts. The role of the SAB is to provides strategic guidance and direction for CHI scientific priorities and research. The SAB plays a key role in guiding and prioritizing CHI research investment and serves as the executive committee for the evaluation of CHI proposals. The SAB is led and Chaired by the CHI scientific director.
Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board
The Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Board is appointed by participating SDs. The Chairperson arranges the board meetings in agreement with CHI chief of operation and participating Institute’s Scientific Directors. The Chairperson presides over the meetings, prepares the board’s written report, and submits that report to NIH leadership.
Term of Office and Rotation of Scientific Advisory Board Membership
The term of office for each member of the Scientific Advisory Board is 5 years and can be extended by two years up to a maximum term of office of 7 years.
Frequency of Scientific Advisory Board Meetings
The Scientific Advisory Board will convene 3 times a year in a manner that coincide with project submissions cycles. In justified cases, SDs may arrange an extraordinary evaluation by the Scientific Advisory Board – of the CHI as a whole or of specific research areas. The date of each meeting is set by the CHI as early as possible, in consultation with the board members and the CHI chief of operation.
Status Report
A Status Report is prepared by the CHI and sent to the board members in good time before the meeting and forms (in addition of project review) the written basis for the work of the Scientific Advisory Board. The Status Report describes the scientific research and projects completed, ongoing, and planned since the Scientific Advisory Board’s last evaluation, and gives an account of the Institute’s budget, the sources and deployment of funds.
Conflict of Interest
SAB members would have to recuse themselves for the evaluation of projects for which they are primary investigator or collaborators.
Scientific Advisory Board Members Bios
Iyadh Douagi, Ph.D.
Dr. Douagi is the Chair of the CHI Scientific Advisory Board and also the Scientific Director of the CHI. Dr. Douagi’s bio can be found under Leadership.
James M. Cherry, Ph.D.
Dr. Cherry is also the Chief of Operations of CHI and his bio can be found under Leadership.
Sonja Best, Ph.D.
Sonja Best, Ph.D. earned her Ph.D. from Australian National University in Australia where she examined pathogenesis of myxoma virus. She then joined the RML, NIAID, where she conducted postdoctoral research focusing on the role of host innate immunity in viral pathogenesis prior to establishing her independent laboratory. She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiologists and an elected member of the Henry Krunkel Society. She currently serves on multiple Editorial boards including Journal of Virology, PLoS Pathogens, and Science Translational Medicine. Dr. Best is currently the Chief of the Laboratory of Neurological Infections and Immunity (LNII) at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML) of NIAID.
Frank DeLeo, Ph.D.
Dr. DeLeo received his Ph.D. in microbiology from Montana State University in 1996, studying the molecular basis of superoxide generation by human neutrophils. He did his postdoctoral training in the area of innate immunity and infectious diseases in the Department of Medicine at the University of Iowa (1996–2000). Dr. DeLeo joined the staff at the NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories in 2000 as a tenure-track investigator. He served previously as Acting Chief (2007-2013) and Chief (2013-2015) of the Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis. Dr. DeLeo was appointed to the NIH Senior Biomedical Research Service (2011-2017) and elected as an American Academy of Microbiology Fellow in 2017. He is currently Chief of the Laboratory of Bacteriology.
Pamela Guerrerio, M.D., Ph.D.
Pamela Guerrerio, M.D., Ph.D. is Chief of the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Dr. Guerrerio graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. degree in biology from the University of Iowa and subsequently completed medical school and a Ph.D. in human genetics at Johns Hopkins University. She did her residency in pediatrics and fellowship in allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her research program is focused on understanding the key genetic, immunologic, and biochemical pathways that lead to the development of food allergy and other related diseases and how this information can be translated into therapeutic benefit.
Rasika Mathias, Sc.D.
Dr. Mathias received an Sc.D. in 2003 from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and trained at the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), NIH, as a postdoctoral fellow. Following a staff scientist role at NHGRI, Dr. Mathias returned to Johns Hopkins University in 2009, where she established a research program interrogating big data to expand our knowledge in the biological and ultimately clinical basis of complex diseases based on the interpretation of molecular intricacy and multi-omics variation. She is particularly interested in translating insights at the molecular level to clinical practice for all patients across diverse health systems. She is a global leader with international recognition for her work in the field of genetic epidemiology and complex disease. In March 2024, Dr. Mathias joined NIAID as a senior investigator to lead a new Genomics and Precision Health Section in the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases.
Luigi D. Notarangelo, M.D.
Luigi D. Notarangelo is the Chief of the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology at NIAID. He has authored more than 500 publications; his research interest focuses on the characterization of the molecular and cellular bases of inborn errors of immunity and the development of novel therapeutic approaches for these disorders. He has contributed to the discovery of several genetic defects underlying immune deficiency, including JAK3, CD40LG, hypomorphic RAG, TTC7A, DOCK2, SASH3, PAX1, EXTL3 and FOXI3 deficiencies. His main current interest is centered on the definition of thymic cellular composition, diversity and transcriptional profile in health and disease both in humans and in mice. Dr. Notarangelo is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.