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Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology

David Relman

Faculty Affiliate
King Center on Global Development

Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Stanford University School of Medicine

David A. Relman, MD, is the Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor in Medicine, a professor of microbiology & immunology, and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. He is also the chief of infectious diseases at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System in Palo Alto, California. 

Relman was an early pioneer in the modern study of the human microbiome. His landmark papers in 1999 and 2005 were among the first to describe the human oral and gut microbiota with modern molecular methods. Most recently, his work has focused on human microbial community assembly, stability, and resilience. Previous work included the development of methods for pathogen discovery, and the identification of several historically important and novel microbial disease agents. 

Relman is a member of the Intelligence Community Studies Board at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, and a member of the National Academy of Medicine. He has advised the U.S. Government on emerging infectious diseases, human-microbe interactions, and future biological threats. He served as chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, at the National Center for Biotechnology Information, and as the president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (2012-2013). He holds a BS from MIT and completed his medical training at Harvard University.