Peter Hotez

Peter Jay Hotez (born May 5, 1958)[1] is an American scientist, pediatrician, and advocate in the fields of global health, vaccinology, and neglected tropical disease control. He serves as founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics, and University Professor of Biology at Baylor College of Medicine.[2][3]

Peter Hotez
Hotez in 2019
Born
Peter Jay Hotez

(1958-05-05) May 5, 1958
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma mater
Scientific career
FieldsVaccinology, neglected tropical disease control, public policy, global health
Institutions

Hotez served previously as president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene[4] and is a founding Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.[5] He is also the co-director of Parasites Without Borders, a global nonprofit organization with a focus on those suffering from parasitic diseases in subtropical environments.[6]

Early life and education

Hotez was born in Hartford, Connecticut to a Jewish family.[1] His father Edward J. Hotez was a World War II veteran in the United States Navy.[7][8]

Growing up in West Hartford, Hotez graduated from Hall High School.[1] In 1980, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in molecular biophysics and biochemistry magna cum laude (Phi Beta Kappa) from Yale University, in 1986 a Doctor of Philosophy from Rockefeller University , and in 1987 a Doctor of Medicine from Weill Cornell Medical College.[9] His doctoral dissertation and postdoctoral research were in hookworm molecular pathogenesis and vaccine development.[10]

Research and career

Early research

Hotez was awarded postdoctoral positions in molecular parasitology and pediatric infectious diseases at Yale University School of Medicine, where he subsequently became an assistant professor in 1992 and an associate professor in 1995. His early research focused on the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of human hookworm infection that eventually led to his patented vaccine now in clinical trials,[11][12] as well as a vaccine against schistosomiasis, also in clinical trials,[13] either of which could be the first successful vaccine for humans to protect against a multi-cellular parasite.[14]

Neglected tropical diseases

From 2000 to 2011, Hotez served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Tropical Medicine (renamed in 2005 as the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine) at the George Washington University.[15]

Following the World Health Organization's (WHO) Millennium Development Goals in 2000, Hotez, along with Drs. Alan Fenwick and David Molyneux, led a global effort to rename diseases then being termed simply "other diseases," as "neglected tropical diseases" (NTDs), and promoting the use of therapeutic/preventive chemotherapy through a combination of drugs called the "rapid-impact package."[16] Hotez has advocated for increased efforts to control NTDs since 2005 through publications and speaking engagements, helping to gain increased awareness resulting in a decrease of prevalence and disease burden in many areas.[17]

Hotez led the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, D.C., as well as efforts to establish PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the first online open access medical journal focused exclusively on neglected tropical diseases.[18]

Vaccine development

In addition to continuing work on vaccines already in clinical trials for hookworm as of 2010 [11] and schistosomiasis,[13] Hotez led a team of researchers developing vaccines against other diseases including leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, SARS, and MERS,[19] As of 2020, he was also working in development of a Coronavirus vaccine.[20] With Maria Elena Bottazzi, he led the team that designed COVID-19 vaccine named Corbevax.[21]

COVID-19 response

As of 2020 Hotez had used his public profile on Twitter and other social media platforms to combat misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and about vaccines. He has appeared as an invited expert in a number of cable news and radio shows.[22][23][24] In an interview with the American Medical Association, Hotez noted that communicating clear messages about the ongoing pandemic is of vital importance in an environment that is rife with confusing and misleading messages. "We've been hearing either the sky was falling or there was no problem... the reality is more nuanced than that and that requires some explanation based on scientific principles."[25]

Hotez has warned that contrary to popular belief, more young adults than expected would be hospitalized due to the outbreak of COVID-19: "The message is that we've been trying to appeal to younger adults and have them shelter away and do the social distancing and explaining why they're at risk for transmitting the virus to vulnerable populations."[26] In 2020 he warned against optimistic COVID-19 vaccine timelines, arguing that rushing could cause problems, "potentially mak[ing] individuals worse and threaten[ing] vaccine development in the U.S."[27] On August 7, 2020, he said in a television interview that the US can expect to be affected by COVID-19 for "years and years" even after Americans are vaccinated. In that interview, he also blamed the federal government for not taking action to contain the spread of the virus.[28]

As of 2023 like many public health experts who use social media, Hotez has been a target of online harassment.[29] In June 2023, he tweeted his concerns about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sharing misinformation about vaccines on Joe Rogan's podcast. Rogan, Kennedy, and Twitter owner Elon Musk asked Hotez to participate in a debate on the podcast. Upon declining the invitation, Hotez was harassed by their fans, with anti-vaccine activist Alex Rosen confronting him at his home.[29][30][31]

Personal life

Hotez is the parent of an autistic daughter. In his 2018 book Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey As a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad he declared, that vaccines did not cause his daughter´s autism.


Awards and memberships

Selected awards and memberships include:

In 2008, he was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.[40] He is an ambassador of the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), a member of the World Health Organization Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee for WHO TDR (Special Programme on Tropical Diseases Research),[41] and in 2011, Hotez was appointed as a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Council of Councils.[42] He is a member of the inaugural class of Fellows of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.[43]

Publications and media

Scientific output

He is a co-editor of Krugman's Infectious Diseases of Children, 11th Edition,[44] and co-editor of Manson's Tropical Diseases, 23rd Edition and Feigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 7th Edition.

He is the co-author of the reference work called Parasitic Diseases, 5th Edition.[45]

Books
  • Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases: The Neglected Tropical Diseases and Their Impact on Global Health and Development (2008). ISBN 978-1-55581-671-1.
  • Blue Marble Health: an Innovative Plan to Fight Diseases of the Poor Amid Wealth (2016). ISBN 978-1-4214-2046-2.
  • Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey As a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad (2018). ISBN 978-1-4214-2660-0.
  • Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy In a Time of Anti-Science (2021). ISBN 978-1-4214-4038-5.
  • The Deadly Rise of Anti-science: A Scientist's Warning (2023). ISBN 978-1-4214-4722-3.

References
  1. Hathaway, William (October 6, 1996). "Parasite links men in daring venture". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. "Expert named to lead new tropical disease research center". Houston Chronicle. June 8, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  3. "34 Leaders Who Are Changing Health Care". Fortune Magazine. April 20, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. "Dr. Peter Hotez Wins Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Award of Distinction". WCM Newsroom. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  5. Says, Goodprizwomen (July 6, 2016). "What's with these Vector-borne Neglected Tropical Diseases?". Speaking of Medicine and Health. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  6. Bardi, Jennifer (December 7, 2022). "A Virulent Antisemitism: An Interview with Dr. Peter Hotez". Moment. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  7. "Edward J. Hotez". Hartford Courant. January 11, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  8. Hotez, Peter [@PeterHotez] (July 10, 2020). "This is my dad, Eddie Hotez, buried in a Jewish cemetery with military honors in 2015. He didn't fight at Okinawa Saipan Philippines, so we could descend into chaos. We have the tools now to defeat this virus, make schools, colleges, even the NFL, safe by the fall. Working on it" (Tweet). Retrieved November 27, 2020 – via Twitter.
  9. Hotez, Peter J. "Curriculum Vitae & Bibliography". Baker Institute. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  10. "Peter Hotez: Diseases We Can Stop But Don't". USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  11. "Safety and Immunogenicity of a Human Hookworm Candidate Vaccine With or Without Additional Adjuvant in Brazilian Adults". No. NCT01261130. NIH US National Library of Medicine. ClinicalTrials.gov.
  12. Diemert, David J.; Zumer, Maria; Campbell, Doreen; Grahek, Shannon; Li, Guangzhao; Peng, Jin; Elena Bottazzi, Maria; Hotez, Peter; Bethony, Jeffrey (October 6, 2022). "Safety and immunogenicity of the Na-APR-1 hookworm vaccine in infection-naïve adults". Vaccine. 40 (42): 6084–6092. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.09.017. ISSN 1873-2518. PMC 9549940. PMID 36114129.
  13. "A Phase I Study of the Safety, Reactogenicity, and Immunogenicity of Sm-TSP-2/Alhydrogel® With or Without GLA-AF for Intestinal Schistosomiasis in Healthy Adults". No. NCT02337855. NIH US National Library of Medicine. ClinicalTrials.gov.
  14. Encyclopedic Reference of Parasitology, Heinz Melhorn Ed. Vaccines against Nematodes.
  15. "ByGeorge!".
  16. Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases: Integrated Chemotherapy and Beyond, http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/11016/1/pmed.0030112.pdf
  17. "Look What Happens When You Pay Attention To Neglected Tropical Diseases", Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes April 24, 2017
  18. Aksoy, Serap; Walson, Judd L. (January 25, 2018). "PLOS NTDs celebrates our 10th anniversary: Looking forward to the next decade". PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. 12 (1): e0006176. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0006176. ISSN 1935-2735. PMC 5784880. PMID 29370165.
  19. "Our Team | Texas Children's Hospital". Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  20. Fresh Air (Interview) November 24, 2020. Interviewed by Terry Gross. WHYY; NPR.
  21. Taylor, Adam (December 30, 2021). "A new coronavirus vaccine heading to India was developed by a small team in Texas. It expects nothing in return". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  22. Hotez, Peter (April 1, 2020). "The timetable for a coronavirus vaccine is 18 months. Experts say that's risky" (Interview). Interviewed by Robert Kuznia. CNN. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  23. Hotez, Peter (April 1, 2020). "Dr. Peter Hotez: New data shows why young people must take COVID-19 spread seriously" (Interview). Interviewed by Fox News. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  24. Hotez, Peter (March 30, 2020). "Scientist Peter Hotez on Why Vaccine Development is 'Critical to the Security of Our Nation'" (Interview). Interviewed by Texas Observer. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  25. Hotez, Peter (February 28, 2020). "Doctor uses reach of social media to ease COVID-19 pandemic fears" (Interview). Interviewed by American Medical Association. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  26. Hotez, Peter (April 1, 2020). "Dr. Peter Hotez: New data shows why young people must take COVID-19 spread seriously" (Interview). Interviewed by Fox News. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  27. Hotez, Peter (March 9, 2020). "Reality check: How long could it take to develop coronavirus vaccine?" (Interview). Interviewed by KHOU. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
  28. Moran, Lee (August 8, 2020). "Vaccine Expert Has Grim Prediction Of What Coronavirus Will Do 'For Years And Years'". HuffPost. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  29. Pendergrast, Tricia; Royan, Regina; Arora, Vineet (June 23, 2023). "Peter Hotez is not alone: Online harassment of doctors is a public health issue". STAT. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  30. Munce, Megan Fan (June 19, 2023). "COVID-19 expert Peter Hotez harassed outside his home by anti-vaccine advocates". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  31. Maruf, Ramishah (June 19, 2023). "A prominent vaccine scientist says he was 'stalked' in front of home after Joe Rogan Twitter exchange | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  32. Robeznieks, Andis (February 4, 2022). "Vaccine champion Dr. Peter Hotez lands one of AMA's highest honors". American Medical Association. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  33. "Internationally recognized physician-scientist receives honorary degree". Roanoke College News. Roanoke College. May 16, 2022. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  34. "Dr. Peter J. Hotez to deliver commencement keynote address". CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy. May 2, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  35. "Newly Elected Fellows". Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  36. "Noticias de actualidad, emprendimientos de éxito en el ambito del cine para adultos o Porno".
  37. "Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine to Receive B'nai B'rith's Distinguished Achievement Award" (Press release). March 1, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  38. "Bailey K. Ashford Medal". American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  39. "H.B. Ward Medal Award". Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
  40. "Peter Hotez". Institute of Medicine. August 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  41. "WHO | Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases is feasible". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  42. "New NIH Council of Councils members named, April 26, 2011 News Release – National Institutes of Health (NIH)". Nih.gov. April 26, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  43. "American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene : ASTMH Names Peter Hotez as New President". Astmh.org. November 7, 2010. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
  44. Arvin Ann (2004) [1998]. "Krugman's Infectious Diseases of Children". The New England Journal of Medicine (10th/11th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences. 338 (21): 785. doi:10.1056/NEJM199805213382119. ISBN 978-0-8151-5251-4. OL 687625M.
  45. Parasitic Diseases, Fifth Edition: 9780970002778: Medicine & Health Science Books @. Apple Tree Productions. 2005. ISBN 978-0970002778.
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