Home

Richard Whitley, MD

Dr. Richard Whitley is Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Vice Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and Division Director of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the UAB School of Medicine.  He also holds the titles of Loeb Eminent Scholar Chair in Pediatrics; Professor of Microbiology, Medicine, & Neurosurgery; Scientist, Cancer Research and Training Center; Senior Scientist, Department of Gene Therapy; and Co-Director, Center for Emerging Infections and Emergency Preparedness. Dr. Whitley’s honors and professional organization involvement include NIAID AIDS Task Force membership; NIAID DSMB Clinical Trials Committee (Chairman); Associate Editor, Journal of Infectious Diseases (2005-Present); President, International Society for Antiviral Research (1988-1990); AAP Award for Excellence in Pediatric Research (1991); Canon Eley Lecturer, Harvard (1991); Elion Award, International Society for Antiviral Research (2004); Chair, BSC, NIAID, NIH (2000-2005); Chair, BSC, CCID, CDC (2005-2010), UAB President’s Medal (2007), NIH National Adv Allergy and Infectious Disease Council (2008-2012), President, Infectious Disease Society of America (2009) and numerous other awards and lectureships. Significantly, Dr.  Whitley was appointed in 2009 as one of 14 members of a panel advising President Barack Obama about the H1N1 virus.  He and his peers from across the country composed an 86-page report to President Obama on the country's preparations for the pandemic flu. An expert on herpesviruses and how antiviral therapies fight infections in children and adults, Dr. Whitley’s research spans three decades, during which he has published more than 320 scholarly articles. After attaining his medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine in 1971, Dr. Whitley completed his pediatric internship/residency and fellowship in infectious disease and virology at UAB from 1971 to 1976.