Peter Hotez Explained

Peter Hotez
Birth Name:Peter Jay Hotez
Birth Date:5 May 1958
Birth Place:Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Field:Vaccinology, neglected tropical disease control, public policy, global health

Peter Jay Hotez (born May 5, 1958) is an American scientist, pediatrician, and advocate in the fields of global health, vaccinology, and neglected tropical disease control. He serves as founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine, Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, where he is also Director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development and Endowed Chair in Tropical Pediatrics.[1] [2] He also serves as a University Professor of Biology at Baylor University.

Hotez served previously as president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene[3] and is a founding Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.[4] He is also the co-director of Parasites Without Borders, a global nonprofit organization with a focus on those suffering from parasitic diseases in subtropical environments.[5]

Early life and education

Hotez was born in Hartford, Connecticut to a Jewish family. His father Edward J. Hotez was a World War II veteran in the United States Navy.[6] [7]

Growing up in West Hartford, Hotez graduated from Hall High School.[8] In 1980, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in molecular biophysics and biochemistry magna cum laude (Phi Beta Kappa) from Yale University, in 1986 a Doctor of Philosophy from Rockefeller University, and in 1987 a Doctor of Medicine from Weill Cornell Medical College.[9] His doctoral dissertation and postdoctoral research were in hookworm molecular pathogenesis and vaccine development.[10]

Research and career

Early research

Hotez was awarded postdoctoral positions in molecular parasitology and pediatric infectious diseases at Yale University School of Medicine, where he subsequently became an assistant professor in 1992 and an associate professor in 1995. His early research focused on the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of human hookworm infection that eventually led to his patented vaccine now in clinical trials,[11] [12] as well as a vaccine against schistosomiasis, also in clinical trials,[13] either of which could be the first successful vaccine for humans to protect against a multi-cellular parasite.[14]

Neglected tropical diseases

From 2000 to 2011, Hotez served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Tropical Medicine (renamed in 2005 as the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine) at the George Washington University.[15]

Following the World Health Organization's (WHO) Millennium Development Goals in 2000, Hotez, along with Drs. Alan Fenwick and David Molyneux, led a global effort to rename diseases then being termed simply "other diseases," as "neglected tropical diseases" (NTDs), and promoting the use of therapeutic/preventive chemotherapy through a combination of drugs called the "rapid-impact package."[16] Hotez has advocated for increased efforts to control NTDs since 2005 through publications and speaking engagements, helping to gain increased awareness resulting in a decrease of prevalence and disease burden in many areas.[17]

Hotez led the Sabin Vaccine Institute in Washington, D.C., as well as efforts to establish PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, the first online open access medical journal focused exclusively on neglected tropical diseases.[18]

Vaccine development

In addition to continuing work on vaccines already in clinical trials for hookworm as of 2010 and schistosomiasis,[13] Hotez led a team of researchers developing vaccines against other diseases including leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, SARS, and MERS,[19] As of 2020, he was also working in development of a Coronavirus vaccine.[20] With Maria Elena Bottazzi, he led the team that designed COVID-19 vaccine named Corbevax.[21]

COVID-19 response

Hotez has used his public profile on Twitter and other social media platforms to combat misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and about vaccines. He has appeared as an invited expert in a number of cable news and radio shows.[22] [23] [24] In an interview with the American Medical Association, Hotez noted that communicating clear messages about the ongoing pandemic is of vital importance in an environment that is rife with confusing and misleading messages. "We've been hearing either the sky was falling or there was no problem... the reality is more nuanced than that and that requires some explanation based on scientific principles."[25]

Hotez has warned that contrary to popular belief, more young adults than expected would be hospitalized due to the outbreak of COVID-19: "The message is that we've been trying to appeal to younger adults and have them shelter away and do the social distancing and explaining why they're at risk for transmitting the virus to vulnerable populations."[26] In 2020 he warned against optimistic COVID-19 vaccine timelines, arguing that rushing could cause problems, "potentially mak[ing] individuals worse and threaten[ing] vaccine development in the U.S."[27] On August 7, 2020, he said in a television interview that the US can expect to be affected by COVID-19 for "years and years" even after Americans are vaccinated. In that interview, he also blamed the federal government for not taking action to contain the spread of the virus.[28]

Like many other public health experts who used social media during the pandemic, Hotez was the target of online harassment.[29] He had already experienced significant prior harassment because of his vaccine advocacy, including at his lectures, receiving online threats, and being blamed for his daughter's autism.[30] In June 2023, he tweeted his concerns about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sharing misinformation about vaccines on Joe Rogan's podcast. Rogan, Kennedy, and Twitter owner Elon Musk asked Hotez to participate in a debate on the podcast. Upon declining the invitation, Hotez was harassed by their fans, with anti-vaccine activist Alex Rosen confronting him at his home.[31] [32] At around the same time, he had been the subject of attacks by followers of Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson who had separately denigrated him.[33] In October 2023, he was given the inaugural Anthony Fauci Courage in Leadership Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America for his efforts in combating anti-science.[34]

Personal life

Hotez is the parent of an autistic daughter. In his 2018 book Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey As a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad he declared that vaccines did not cause his daughter´s autism.

Awards and memberships

Selected awards and memberships include:

In 2008, he was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.[44] He is an ambassador of the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), a member of the World Health Organization Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee for WHO TDR (Special Programme on Tropical Diseases Research),[45] and in 2011, Hotez was appointed as a member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Council of Councils.[46] He is a member of the inaugural class of Fellows of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.[47]

Publications and media

Scientific output

He is a co-editor of Krugman's Infectious Diseases of Children, 11th Edition,[48] and co-editor of Manson's Tropical Diseases, 23rd Edition and Feigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 7th Edition.

He is the co-author of the reference work called Parasitic Diseases, 5th Edition.[49]

Books

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: June 8, 2011 . Expert named to lead new tropical disease research center . November 17, 2017 . Houston Chronicle . en-US.
  2. Web site: April 20, 2017 . 34 Leaders Who Are Changing Health Care . March 31, 2020 . Fortune Magazine . en-US.
  3. Web site: Dr. Peter Hotez Wins Weill Cornell Medical College Alumni Award of Distinction . 2023-09-19 . WCM Newsroom . en.
  4. Web site: Says . Goodprizwomen . 2016-07-06 . What's with these Vector-borne Neglected Tropical Diseases? . 2023-09-19 . Speaking of Medicine and Health . en-US.
  5. Web site: Bardi . Jennifer . 2022-12-07 . A Virulent Antisemitism: An Interview with Dr. Peter Hotez . 2023-09-19 . . en-US.
  6. Web site: Edward J. Hotez. Hartford Courant. January 11, 2015. November 27, 2020.
  7. Hotez. Peter. PeterHotez. This is my dad, Eddie Hotez, buried in a Jewish cemetery with military honors in 2015. He didn't fight at Okinawa Saipan Philippines, so we could descend into chaos. We have the tools now to defeat this virus, make schools, colleges, even the NFL, safe by the fall. Working on it. 1281770716992503808. July 10, 2020. November 27, 2020.
  8. Web site: Hathaway. William. https://archive.today/20201128062152/https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1996-10-06-9610060087-story.html. November 28, 2020. Parasite links men in daring venture. Hartford Courant. October 6, 1996. November 27, 2020. dead.
  9. Web site: Hotez, Peter J.. Curriculum Vitae & Bibliography. Baker Institute. September 18, 2017.
  10. Web site: Peter Hotez: Diseases We Can Stop But Don't . 2023-09-20 . USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health . en-US.
  11. News: Safety and Immunogenicity of a Human Hookworm Candidate Vaccine With or Without Additional Adjuvant in Brazilian Adults . NIH US National Library of Medicine . ClinicalTrials.gov . NCT01261130.
  12. Diemert . David J. . Zumer . Maria . Campbell . Doreen . Grahek . Shannon . Li . Guangzhao . Peng . Jin . Elena Bottazzi . Maria . Hotez . Peter . Bethony . Jeffrey . October 6, 2022 . Safety and immunogenicity of the Na-APR-1 hookworm vaccine in infection-naïve adults . Vaccine . 40 . 42 . 6084–6092 . 10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.09.017 . 1873-2518 . 9549940 . 36114129.
  13. News: A Phase I Study of the Safety, Reactogenicity, and Immunogenicity of Sm-TSP-2/Alhydrogel® With or Without GLA-AF for Intestinal Schistosomiasis in Healthy Adults . NIH US National Library of Medicine . ClinicalTrials.gov . NCT02337855.
  14. Encyclopedic Reference of Parasitology, Heinz Melhorn Ed. Vaccines against Nematodes.
  15. Web site: ByGeorge!.
  16. Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases: Integrated Chemotherapy and Beyond, http://researchonline.lshtm.ac.uk/11016/1/pmed.0030112.pdf
  17. https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2017/04/24/look-what-happens-when-you-pay-attention-to-neglected-tropical-diseases/#1c513bba221a "Look What Happens When You Pay Attention To Neglected Tropical Diseases"
  18. Aksoy . Serap . Walson . Judd L. . 2018-01-25 . PLOS NTDs celebrates our 10th anniversary: Looking forward to the next decade . PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases . en . 12 . 1 . e0006176 . 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006176 . 1935-2735 . 5784880 . 29370165 . free .
  19. Web site: Our Team | Texas Children's Hospital . August 3, 2018 . February 7, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210207011340/https://www.texaschildrens.org/departments/vaccine-development/our-team . dead .
  20. Fresh Air (Interview) November 24, 2020. Interviewed by Terry Gross. WHYY; NPR.
  21. News: Taylor. Adam. December 30, 2021. A new coronavirus vaccine heading to India was developed by a small team in Texas. It expects nothing in return.. en-US. Washington Post. December 31, 2021. 0190-8286.
  22. Hotez . Peter . Robert Kuznia . The timetable for a coronavirus vaccine is 18 months. Experts say that's risky . April 1, 2020 . CNN . April 1, 2020.
  23. Hotez . Peter . Fox News . Dr. Peter Hotez: New data shows why young people must take COVID-19 spread seriously . March 19, 2020 . April 1, 2020.
  24. Hotez . Peter . Texas Observer. Scientist Peter Hotez on Why Vaccine Development is 'Critical to the Security of Our Nation' . March 30, 2020 . March 19, 2020.
  25. Hotez . Peter . American Medical Association . Doctor uses reach of social media to ease COVID-19 pandemic fears . February 28, 2020 . April 1, 2020.
  26. Hotez . Peter . Fox News. Dr. Peter Hotez: New data shows why young people must take COVID-19 spread seriously . April 1, 2020 . March 19, 2020.
  27. Hotez . Peter . KHOU . Reality check: How long could it take to develop coronavirus vaccine? . March 9, 2020 . April 1, 2020.
  28. Web site: Moran. Lee. August 8, 2020. Vaccine Expert Has Grim Prediction Of What Coronavirus Will Do 'For Years And Years'. October 11, 2020. HuffPost. en.
  29. Web site: Pendergrast . Tricia . Royan . Regina . Arora . Vineet . 2023-06-23 . Peter Hotez is not alone: Online harassment of doctors is a public health issue . 2023-06-23 . STAT.
  30. Web site: Interlandi . Jeneen . When Defending Vaccines Gets Ugly . The New York Times . 2019-06-02 . 2024-01-19.
  31. Web site: Munce . Megan Fan . 2023-06-19 . COVID-19 expert Peter Hotez harassed outside his home by anti-vaccine advocates . 2023-09-19 . Houston Chronicle . en-US.
  32. Web site: Maruf . Ramishah . 2023-06-19 . A prominent vaccine scientist says he was 'stalked' in front of home after Joe Rogan Twitter exchange CNN Business . 2023-09-19 . CNN . en.
  33. Web site: Dr. Peter Hotez on the anti-science movement and declining Joe Rogan’s debate challenge . American Medical Association . 2023-07-13 . 2024-01-19.
  34. Samarasekera . Udani . Peter Hotez: physician-scientist-warrior combating anti-science . The Lancet . 403 . 10422 . 2024 . 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00007-2 . 134.
  35. Web site: Peter Hotez . IDSA Home . 2024-01-17.
  36. Web site: Robeznieks . Andis . Vaccine champion Dr. Peter Hotez lands one of AMA's highest honors . American Medical Association . 20 June 2023 . en . 4 February 2022.
  37. News: Internationally recognized physician-scientist receives honorary degree . 20 June 2023 . Roanoke College News . Roanoke College . 16 May 2022 . en.
  38. News: Dr. Peter J. Hotez to deliver commencement keynote address . 20 June 2023 . CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy . 2 May 2023.
  39. Web site: Newly Elected Fellows . July 27, 2018 . November 22, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181122143055/https://www.amacad.org/content/members/newFellows.aspx?s=a . dead.
  40. Web site: Noticias de actualidad, emprendimientos de éxito en el ambito del cine para adultos o Porno.
  41. Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine to Receive B'nai B'rith's Distinguished Achievement Award. March 1, 2017. November 17, 2017.
  42. Web site: Bailey K. Ashford Medal. American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. November 17, 2017.
  43. Web site: H.B. Ward Medal Award . July 24, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100610010713/http://asp.unl.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64:hb-ward-medal-award&catid=39:awards-and-lectures&Itemid=63 . June 10, 2010.
  44. Web site: Peter Hotez. Institute of Medicine. August 15, 2014. May 2, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100528074506/http://www.iom.edu/Global/Directory/Detail.aspx?id=0020002523. May 28, 2010.
  45. Web site: WHO | Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases is feasible. https://web.archive.org/web/20120830053358/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/ntd_20101014/en/. dead. August 30, 2012. World Health Organization. November 17, 2017.
  46. News: New NIH Council of Councils members named, April 26, 2011 News Release – National Institutes of Health (NIH). Nih.gov. April 26, 2011. November 17, 2017.
  47. Web site: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene : ASTMH Names Peter Hotez as New President. Astmh.org. November 7, 2010. May 2, 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150511185704/http://www.astmh.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Releases&Template=%2FCM%2FContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=2879. May 11, 2015.
  48. Krugman's Infectious Diseases of Children. The New England Journal of Medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences. 1998. 2004. 10th/11th. 338. 21. 785. 10.1056/NEJM199805213382119. 978-0-8151-5251-4. OL687625M. Arvin Ann.
  49. Book: Parasitic Diseases, Fifth Edition: 9780970002778: Medicine & Health Science Books @. 2005. Apple Tree Productions . 978-0970002778.

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