Posted on February 11, 2004 at 12:45 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson recently announced the appointment of Gail Wertz, Ph.D., UAB professor of microbiology, to the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council. The council is the principal advisory body of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The council provides recommendations on the conduct and support of research, including training young scientists and disseminating health information derived from NIAID research. The council is composed of physicians, scientists and representatives of the public who contribute their time and expertise for a four-year term.

Wertz’s research focuses on RNA viruses, including human respiratory syncytial virus, a major cause of illness in infants and children. Her research addresses both basic molecular mechanisms involved in viral replication as well as development of novel concepts for new vaccines. She is past president of the American Society for Virology and has received two NIH MERIT awards as well as the “Freedom to Discover” Infectious Diseases Research Award from Bristol-Myers Squibb. Dr. Wertz has also recently been appointed to serve on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Center for Infectious Diseases of the CDC.

NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, illness from potential agents of bioterrorism, tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.