Executive Leadership & Expert Bios

Sherif R. Zaki, MD, PhD

Chief, Infectious Disease Pathology Branch

 

Sherif Zaki, MD, PhD, is the Chief of the Infectious Disease Pathology Branch at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He leads a multidisciplinary team that provides expertise in histopathology, molecular pathology, and ultrastructural analysis for detecting microbial agents and studying the pathogenesis of infectious diseases.

During his tenure at CDC, Dr. Zaki has successfully led the effort to bring the pathology laboratory to the forefront of the agency’s work in responding to public health threats posed by various infectious disease agents. In 1993, Dr. Zaki and his team helped identify and characterize a previously unrecognized type of Hantavirus that was causing severe respiratory illness and death among residents of the southwestern United States. Dr. Zaki’s work was also central to CDC’s success in responding to outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in several African nations between 1995 and 2002, leptospirosis in Nicaragua in 1996, Nipah virus encephalitis in Malaysia and Singapore in 2000, and West Nile virus infection in the United States in 2000 and 2002.

During the anthrax crisis in the United States in late 2001, Dr. Zaki’s laboratory provided expert diagnostic support and consultation to emergency response teams in different U.S. cities. In 2003, Dr Zaki was critical in CDC’s success in the identification and characterization of the new coronavirus that was causing SARS. More recently, Dr Zaki’s team has been key in recognizing a new syndrome of fatal toxic shock syndrome associated with Clostridium sordelli after medical abortion, various novel transplant-associated infections and a new arenavirus responsible for an outbreak of hemorrhagic fever in Zambia. Dr Zaki’s laboratory most recently responded and characterized the pathology and pathogenesis of pandemic influenza.

Dr. Zaki received his M.D. from the University of Alexandria Medical School, in Egypt. He completed his pathology residency training and received his Ph.D. in experimental pathology at Emory University School of Medicine.

Dr. Zaki’s research interests include infectious disease pathology, bioterrorism preparedness, and the pathogenesis of hemorrhagic fevers. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 scientific publications

To request an interview, call CDC's Division of News and Electronic Media at (404) 639-3286, or e-mail us at media@cdc.gov.