Robert Breiman | |
|---|---|
| Born | Robert Fredric Breiman |
| Education | University of Arizona (BA, MD) |
| Known for | Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome discovery; Nipah virus investigations |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Epidemiology, Infectious disease, Global health |
| Institutions | Emory University University of the Witwatersrand Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
Robert Fredric Breiman is an American epidemiologist and physician who is a professor of Global Health at Emory University and a Distinguished Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand. In 2017, he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine.
Breiman attended the University of Arizona, graduating in 1975 and earning his Medical Degree in 1979. He completed his internship, residency, and chief residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) San Fernando Valley Medical Program between 1979 and 1983, and an infectious diseases fellowship at UCLA from 1984 to 1987. [1]
In 1987, Breiman joined the CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer in the Respiratory Diseases Branch. [1] From 1989 to 1997, he served as Chief of the Respiratory Diseases Epidemiology Section. During this period, he led the investigation of the first recognized outbreak of Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the Four Corners region of the United States in 1993, including the identification of the Sin Nombre virus. [2] From 1995 to 2000, he also served as Director of the United States National Vaccine Program Office within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. [3] [4]
From 2000 to 2004, Breiman was the Director of the Health Systems and Infectious Diseases Division at the ICDDR,B (Centre for Health and Population Research) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. [5] While in Bangladesh, he led outbreak investigations for Nipah virus encephalitis. [6] [7]
He subsequently joined CDC-Kenya, serving as the Head of the Global Disease Detection Division from 2004 to 2012 and the Country Director for CDC-Kenya from 2010 to 2013 in Nairobi. His work in Kenya included leading responses to outbreaks of Rift Valley fever, [8] Chikungunya, [9] and Avian influenza. [10]
Breiman joined Emory University in 2013 as the Director of the Emory Global Health Institute, a position he held until 2019. He is a Tenured professor of Global Health in the Hubert Department of Global Health at the Rollins School of Public Health. [1]
He also holds the position of Distinguished Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. From 2022 to 2025, he served as the Interim Director of the Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI) at the University of the Witwatersrand, where he is currently a Senior Scientific Advisor. [11]