David S. Stephens, MD
Executive Associate Dean of Research for the School of Medicine

Dr. Stephens is Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Epidemiology; Director, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine; and holds the Stephen W. Schwarzmann Distinguished Professorship in Internal Medicine at Emory University. Dr. Stephens serves as the principal investigator/program director for this proposed P20 planning process. As principal investigator/program director, Dr. Stephens will direct and be responsible for the overall program. He will supervise and direct the development of the CTSA effort and will be assisted on a daily basis by Dr. Chapman and the other members of the Executive Committee.

Dr. Stephens received his MD degree from Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, his clinical training in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Hospitals (Dr. Grant Liddle), and completed a research fellowship in bacterial pathogenesis at Vanderbilt with Dr. Zell McGee. He came to Emory University in 1982 as an Assistant Professor and since 1992 has been Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Stephens is also the Clinical Service Chief for Infectious Diseases for Emory University Hospitals and Clinics.

Dr. Stephens is an internationally recognized researcher in the pathogenesis of meningitis. He has had a highly productive research program, continuously funded by competitive grants (NIH R01, CDC, VA Merit Awards, etc.) since 1981. He currently holds peer-review grant support from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AI-33517, AI-40247 and AI-02031) and the CDC, and is the principal investigator of a CDC-sponsored fellowship training grant in infectious diseases. His research involves studies of the mechanisms of disease of the bacterial pathogens Neisseria meningitidis, N. gonorrhoeae, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. These agents are exclusive pathogens of humans. Dr. Stephens has pioneered the development of human mucosal organ culture and other tissue models derived from patient material in order to best study bacterial pathogenesis. Current NIH-funded laboratory work is directed at the basis of meningococcal capsule and endotoxin (lipopoly[oligo]saccharide) expression during infection at human mucosal surfaces or during bloodstream invasion. These studies include determination of human mechanisms of bactericidal activity and Toll-like 4 receptor activation. Three patents and a licensing agreement for vaccine-related products have been developed through this work.

In addition to the contributions of his laboratory, Dr. Stephens in 1988 founded the Atlanta Active Surveillance Project (now the Georgia Emerging Infections Program), a population-based surveillance and clinical research program focused on bacterial pathogens, especially the agents of meningitis. This project has provided key insights into understanding the spectrum of bacterial meningitis, the success of new vaccines in a population (e.g., H. influenzae b and pneumococcal conjugates), the risk factors for meningitis, and the emergence of antibiotic resistance in the meningitis pathogens. Over 50 publications in journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine and Annals of Internal Medicine have resulted from this project. He has also contributed to the development of meningococcal, pneumococcal and Bacillus anthracis vaccines. During the recent bioterrorism events in the U.S., Dr. Stephens led CDC’s clinical emergency response team in defining clinical issues in prophylaxis, diagnosis and treatment of B. anthracis infections.

Dr. Stephens serves as principal investigator for the NIH-sponsored Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense housed at Emory, the CDC-supported Southeastern Center for Emerging Biologic Threats, and the Exploratory Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Vaccinology at the Emory Vaccine Center.

Dr. Stephens is a Fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America; a member of the Association of Professors of Medicine, Association of Subspecialty Professors, and the Association of American Physicians; has served on NIH review panels in Bacteriology and Mycology and Microbial Physiology and Genetics, the VA Infectious Diseases Merit Review and Career Development Boards, the IDSA Emerging Infections Committee; and as a consultant for the NIAID Board of Scientific Counselors, the World Health Organization, the National Meningitis Trust of Great Britain, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. He is currently Chair of the FDA National Vaccine Advisory Committee and is the Senior Scientific Consultant to the Meningitis and Special Pathogens Branch at CDC. He has led the development of programs at Emory in microbial pathogenesis, molecular epidemiology, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. He has over 175 publications in infectious diseases, molecular pathogenesis, and epidemiology.

Since 1982, he has served as a preceptor, supervisor or advisor for the training of 68 fellows, medical students, undergraduate and graduate students in research, many of whom are now productive members and leaders in medicine, public health and clinical research. Dr. Stephens provides administrative leadership and extensive knowledge of the Emory/Atlanta/CDC medical and scientific communities, a broad scientific background in research, and a record of preparing individuals for independent research.