Daniel Rotrosen, MD

Daniel Rotrosen, M.D., serves as Director of the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation (DAIT) at NIAID. DAIT supports a wide range of research projects spanning basic immunology and translational and clinical research on immune-mediated diseases and transplantation immunology. The Division’s priorities include:

•Maintaining a robust portfolio of investigator-initiated research project grants
•Expanding knowledge of human immunology and protective immunity
•Developing better means of preventing, diagnosing, and treating asthma and allergic diseases,  autoimmune diseases, and transplant rejection of solid organs, tissues, and cells

Dr. Rotrosen provides scientific leadership and programmatic direction for the DAIT extramural research portfolio. Under his leadership, NIAID support for clinical immunology research has grown substantially including support for clinical trials. DAIT is deeply committed to increasing our understanding of the human immune system in health and disease: the Division’s most recent investment in this area is the Human Immune Phenotyping Centers, which are characterizing the normal human immune system and how it responds to infection or vaccination. DAIT also supports a variety of reagent resources, databases, and bioinformatics tools that facilitate basic, preclinical, and clinical immunology research.

DAIT serves as the National Insitutes of Health (NIH) lead for research on autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation. The Division currently sponsors approximately 75 to 85 clinical trials that incorporate a strong emphasis on underlying immunological mechanisms. An area of ongoing emphasis is the development and evaluation of novel approaches to induce immunological tolerance in immune-mediated disorders. Under Dr. Rotrosen’s leadership, DAIT has a longstanding commitment to improving our understanding of childhood asthma and to expanding asthma treatment options for disadvantaged children living in our nation’s inner cities.

Dr. Rotrosen graduated from Boston University School of Medicine in 1978. He completed internship, residency, and fellowship training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles and is board certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. He was elected to membership in the American Society for Clinical Investigation, is a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and is a member of the American Association of Immunologists and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. He has received numerous awards for scientific management and leadership including two U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary’s Awards for Distinguished Service, the HHS Secretary’s Outstanding Team Performance Award, and the NIH Director’s Group Award. Dr. Rotrosen served as co-chair of the Foundation for NIH Biomarkers Consortium Immunity and Inflammation Steering Committee and is a member of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies Steering Committee.