Victor Joseph Dzau (; born 23 October 1945) is a Chinese-American doctor and academic. He serves as the President of the United States National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) of the United States National Academy of Sciences. He was previously the president and CEO of Duke University Medical Center.
Biography
Dzau was born in Shanghai, Republic of China. His father owned a chemical manufacturing company. He and his family fled to Hong Kong to escape from the civil war of China. He received both his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and his M.D. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Dzau was the Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and served as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital, as well as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University. He then became the Chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University and President and CEO of the Duke University Medical Center. Dzau is currently the James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke University. In July 2014, he was elected for a six-year term (renewable) as President of the then Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine). He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was the previously the Chairman of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cardiovascular Disease Advisory Committee, and he served on the Advisory Committee to the Director of NIH.
Dzau's research involved the development of angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are used globally for the treatment of high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. He examined gene therapy for vascular disease, being the first to introduce DNA decoy molecules to block transcriptions as gene therapy in humans.
Dzau's wife, Ruth, is the president of The Second Step, a nonprofit charitable organization that provides housing and transnational programs for domestic violence victims. They have two daughters, Jacqueline and Merissa. Dzau is on the honor roll of the Jewish Federation of Durham Chapel Hill and has been a speaker at the Federation's Ignite talks.
Honors and awards
Eight honorary doctorate degrees. 2002 Member, Academia Sinica 2004 Named Distinguished Scientist of the American Heart Association 2004 Max Delbrück Medal, Berlin, Germany 2005 Ellis Island Medal of Honor 2012 Henry Freisen International Prize 2014 Singapore Public Service Medal 2019 Foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering 2019 Honorary Citizen Award (Singapore)