Pierce Gardner, M.D.

STONY BROOK, N.Y., January 16, 2009 – Pierce Gardner, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Public Health, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Emeritus, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, has been selected as one of 25 experts to advocate for greater U.S. investment in global health research. Chosen as a 2009 Ambassador to Research! America’s Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, Dr. Gardner brings to the position 40 years of experience as a physician and educator who has traveled to more than 90 countries.

The Rogers Society, named for former Florida Congressman Paul G. Rogers who championed health research, works to increase awareness and make the case for greater U.S. investment in research to fight diseases that disproportionally affect the world’s poorest nations. The selected Ambassadors will work to convey to policymakers why specific areas of global health research matter for the United States and people worldwide. The Ambassadors include a wide-range prominent scientists and physicians specializing in areas such as pediatrics, nursing, dentistry, emerging tropical diseases, and tuberculosis.

Dr. Gardner is an expert in infectious diseases. For nine years he served as the liaison representative of the American College of Physicians to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). He also served in the Epidemic Intelligence Service at the CDC where he was the Chief of the Central Nervous System Viral Surveillance Unit.

At Stony Brook, Dr. Gardner has mentored dozens of medical students interested in global health issues. Many of those students have trained in clinics and taken part in global health care initiatives at institutions in many regions around the world, including countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe.

“The world continues to get smaller through global trade, international travel, and communications, which have brought global health issues to the forefront,” says Dr. Gardner. “There is so much we can do to combat terrible diseases and infections through research that it is imperative we reach policymakers who can open doors to more research.”

A graduate of Harvard Medical School, Dr. Gardner has held major academic appointments at Harvard, the University of Chicago, and Stony Brook University. He has published more than 125 articles, reviews, and books, primarily dealing with immunization issues and health issues of international travel. He has a long interest in adult immunization  and has served as editor of the most recent edition of the “Guide for Adult Immunization,” published by the American College of Physicians and Infectious Diseases Society of America.

The Rogers Society was established in 2006 by Research! America with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Research! America, based in Washington, D.C., is the nation’s largest not-for-profit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority.

Global Health Programs at Stony Brook University School of Medicine include: the Barry Coller Fund, which supports student research projects; student exchange programs with two medical schools in Korea; and the International Health Interest Group, which organizes presentations and activities at Stony Brook. Many School of Medicine clinical departments also have international activities at both trainee and faculty levels, and a course on Global Health is offered for health science students.

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