Barney S. Graham is an immunologist, virologist, and clinical trials physician with an extensive background in basic and translational research applied to vaccine development. He obtained an undergraduate degree from Rice University, a medical degree from the University of Kansas, and completed internal medicine residency, chief residencies, ID fellowship, and PhD in Microbiology and Immunology at Vanderbilt University where he was an R01-funded investigator before joining the NIAID Vaccine Research Center at NIH as a founding member in 2000. He retired as Deputy Director of the VRC in 2021 and is now an independent consultant and Professor of Medicine and Microbiology, Biochemistry, & Immunology and Director of the David Satcher Global Health Equity Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, American Association of Physicians, and the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the recipient of four honorary doctorate degrees. He has received numerous awards including the Robert M. Chanock Award for lifetime contributions to RSV research, the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal Award for contributions to vaccinology, the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research, the National Academy of Sciences John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science, the Charles Mérieux Award for Achievement in Vaccinology and Immunology and the Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, the New York Academy of Medicine John Stearns Medal for Distinguished Contributions in Clinical Practice, and the IVI-SK Bioscience Park MahnHoon Award. He was also a recipient of the Patents for Humanity Award from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for US Patent No: 10,960,070 B2 Graham et al. “Prefusion Coronavirus Spike Proteins and Their Use”, He was named one of the world’s 100 most influential individuals and one of the Heroes of the Year in 2021 by Time magazine and recognized as the Federal Employee of the Year by the Partnership for Public Service.
He is an author on more than 500 scientific publications, and a thought leader on emerging viral diseases and pandemic preparedness. He is best known for his research on RSV pathogenesis, structure-based vaccine design, application of mRNA delivery technology, and rapid COVID-19 vaccine development. He was involved in the advanced evaluation of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for HIV, Ebola, and Chikungunya, and has developed novel vaccines for RSV, influenza, Zika, paramyxoviruses, and coronaviruses. He is an inventor on vaccines and monoclonal antibodies approved for human use for the prevention or treatment of RSV, COVID-19, and Ebola.
