The Annual Thomas C. Merigan Jr. Lecture


Each year the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine hosts the Thomas C. Merigan, Jr. Lecture. This endowed lectureship is in honor of Dr. Merigan, Professor Emeritus, and the former Chief of the division of Infectious Diseases at Stanford. Dr. Merigan is an internationally known virologist whose laboratory contributed the tests to measure HIV viral load, among many other notable achievements, and he trained many leaders in the field of infectious diseases. Each year, the lectureships brings a renowned scientist to speak about their work in infectious diseases at Medicine Grand Rounds. The first lecture, in 1994, was given by Dr. Jonas Salk.

The 28th Merigan Jr. Lecturer

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Former Director, CDC

The 2024 Merigan Lecturer

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Former Director, CDC

    Dr. Rochelle Walensky served as the 19th Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021-23), Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School (2012-2021), and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Massachusetts General Hospital (2017-2021). Dr. Walensky is an infectious disease clinician whose research and over 350 publications has focused on infectious diseases and HIV/AIDS policy, including cost-effective strategies for HIV screening, treatment, and prevention, both in the U.S. and around the globe. Dr. Walensky served on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic inMassachusetts until beginning her tenure at the CDC on January 20th, 2021. While at the CDC, Dr.Walensky led the nation - and the world - through unprecedented times, navigating the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic and further facing the largest density of diverse infectious threats likely ever seen in this country.

    Dr. Walensky is a member of the American Academy of Physicians, National Academy of Medicine and the Council on Foreign Relations. She serves on the Board of Trustees at the Doris Duke Foundation and
The Carter Center and is currently the Bayer Fellow in Health and Biotech at the American Academy in Berlin.

    Dr. Walensky received her BA (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1991) from Washington University in St. Louis; her MD from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (1995) and her MPH from the Harvard
School of Public Health (Clinical Effectiveness, 2001). She completed her Internal Medicine residency at the Johns Hopkins Hospital (1995-1998) and her Infectious Disease fellowship at the Massachusetts
General/Brigham and Women’s Hospital combined program (1998-2001). She is married to Loren Walensky, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist and pediatric oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute/Boston Children’s Hospital. The Doctors Walensky have 3 sons ages 20, 23, and 25.


MEDICAL GRAND ROUNDS

Wed., June 11th, 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.

Title: Leadership Lessons from a Career in Public Health 

Location: Berg Hall A/B, LKSC Building

Zoom ID: 98774978105 Password: 241605

Timeline of Speakers

  • 1994 Jonas E. Salk, MD
  • 1995 Karl Johnson, MD
  • 1996 Robert Channock, MD
  • 1997 Baruch Blumberg, MD
  • 1998 Robert C. Gallo, MD
  • 1999 Maurice R. Hilleman, PhD, DSc
  • 2000 Michael B. A. Oldstone, MD
  • 2001 Stanley N. Cohen, MD
  • 2002 Harriet Robinson, PhD
  • 2003 Richard D. Klausner, MD
  • 2006 John E. Wennberg, MD, MPH
  • 2007 Lawrence Corey, MD
  • 2008 Douglas Richman, MD
  • 2009 Mark Wainberg, PhD
  • 2010 Caroline Hall, MD
  • 2012 Anthony S. Fauci, MD
  • 2013 Thomas C. Quinn, MD
  • 2014 Bruce Walker, MD
  • 2015 Julie Overbaugh, PhD
  • 2016 Peter Piot, MD, PhD, FRCP
  • 2017 David Heymann, MD
  • 2018 Steven Holland, MD
  • 2019 Anne Schuchat, MD
  • 2020 Canceled (COVID-19)
  • 2021 Pardis Sabeti, MD
  • 2022 Jesse Bloom, PhD
  • 2023 Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, FACP, FIDSA
  • 2024 Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH

Dr. Thomas C. Merigan, Professor Emeritus