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Paul A. Offit, MD
Director, Vaccine Education Center
Dr. Offit is director of the Vaccine Education Center at CHOP and an internationally recognized expert in the fields of virology and immunology. He is co-inventor of a landmark vaccine achievement for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis.
Bio
Dr. Offit is an internationally recognized expert in the fields of virology and immunology, and was a member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He is a founding advisory board member of the Autism Science Foundation and the Foundation for Vaccine Research, a member of the Institute of Medicine and co-editor of the foremost vaccine text, Vaccines.
He is a recipient of many awards including the J. Edmund Bradley Prize for Excellence in Pediatrics from the University of Maryland Medical School, the Young Investigator Award in Vaccine Development from the Infectious Disease Society of America, a Research Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health, and the Sabin Vaccine Institute Gold Medal.
Dr. Offit has published more than 150 papers in medical and scientific journals in the areas of rotavirus-specific immune responses and vaccine safety. He is also the co-inventor of a landmark rotavirus vaccine recommended for universal use in infants by the CDC.
For this achievement, Dr. Offit received the Luigi Mastroianni and William Osler Awards from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the Charles Mérieux Award from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, and was honored by Bill and Melinda Gates during the launch of their Foundation’s Living Proof Project for global health. In addition, he has received numerous other awards and honors for his groundbreaking work.
Education and Training
BS, Tufts University, 1973
MD, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 1977
Titles and Academic Titles
Director, Vaccine Education Center
Maurice R. Hilleman Chair of Vaccinology
Professor of Pediatrics
Adjunct Associate Professor, The Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology
Professional Memberships
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association of Immunologists
American Gastroenterological Association
American Pediatric Society
American Society for Microbiology
American Society for the Advancement of Science
American Society for Virology
Association for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics
GAVI Campaign, Board of Directors
International Society for Vaccines
Institute for Science in Medicine
Pediatric Infectious Disease Society
Philadelphia Childhood Immunization Coalition
Philadelphia County Medical Society
Philadelphia Pediatric Society
Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine
Society for Mucosal Immunology
Society for Pediatric Research
Union of Concerned Scientists
Professional Awards
The University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation Award, 1988
Lederle Young Investigator Award in Vaccine Development, 1988
Research Achievement Award, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 1991
"Excellence in Service" Award from the Delaware Valley Immunization Coalition, 2001
Fellow, College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 2003
Gold Medal Award from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for the co-invention of RotaTeq, 2006
Jonas Salk Bronze Medal from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology for the co-invention of RotaTeq, 2006
Stanley A. Plotkin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Vaccines, Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, 2008
American Medical Writers Association Medical Book Award, Public/Healthcare Consumer Category for "Vaccinated: One Man’s Quest to Defeat the World’s Deadliest Diseases," 2008
Luigi Mastroianni Clinical Innovator Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for the co-invention of RotaTeq, 2008
Dr. Charles Mérieux Award for Achievement in Vaccinology and Immunology from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 2009
Humanitarian of the Year Award, National Meningitis Association, 2009
William Osler Patient Oriented Research Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for the co-invention of RotaTeq and for the creation of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2009
Honored by Bill and Melinda Gates at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's Living Proof Project for Global Health, 2009
President's Certificate for Outstanding Service, American Academy of Pediatrics, 2009
Ralph D. Feigin Award for Excellence, 2010, for "Outstanding Advocacy for Immunizations," 2010
Inducted into the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, 2011
Board Member, The Franklin Institute, 2011
Odyssey Award, Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, 2011
David E. Rogers Award, American Association of Medical Colleges, 2011
Humanitarian of the Year Award, Biotechnology Industries Organization, 2011
Elected to the John Morgan Society, University of Pennsylvania, 2012
Drexel Medicine Prize in Translational Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2012
Jonathan M. Mann Memorial Lecture, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, 2012
Distinguished Medical Achievement Award, The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 2012
Fellow, American Academy of Microbiology, 2012
Innovators in Health Award, Group Health Foundation, 2013
Honor Award and Gold Key, Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 2013
Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement, National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 2013
Robert P. Balles Prize in Critical Thinking, The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry and Skeptical Inquirer Magazine, 2014
Honoree, Autism Science Foundation, 5th Anniversary Celebration, 2014
Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, University of Pennsylvania, 2015
The Porter Prize, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, 2016
Jonathan E. Rhoads Medal for Distinguished Service to Medicine, The American Philosophical Society, 2016