Dr. Dean Metcalfe Heads NIAID's Laboratory of Allergic Diseases
Dean D. Metcalfe, M.D., has been named chief of the Laboratory of Allergic Diseases at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Md., a component of the National Institutes of Health. The recently established laboratory is dedicated to state-of-the-art scientific investigations of allergic diseases, which affect as many as 50 million Americans.
"Because allergic diseases continue to significantly influence the health of people in the United States and around the world, NIAID is strengthening its focus to conduct the highest quality research on allergic and immunologic diseases, including asthma," says Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., NIAID director. "Under the leadership of Dr. Metcalfe, the laboratory will seek ways to reduce the impact of allergic diseases and improve people's health and quality of life."
The Laboratory of Allergic Diseases is part of the NIAID Division of Intramural Research (DIR). "Dr. Metcalfe's appointment represents a critical step in strengthening the clinical and basic research programs in allergic diseases within NIAID," says Thomas J. Kindt, Ph.D., DIR director. "We anticipate integrating both clinical and basic science within this new lab," he added. "The researchers will focus on the prevention of allergic diseases by determining how they develop as well as by improving their diagnosis and treatment.
In addition to serving as laboratory chief, Dr. Metcalfe has been appointed director of the Allergy and Immunology Training Program by H. Clifford Lane, M.D., NIAID clinical director.
Dr. Metcalfe's basic science interest is the molecular basis of mast cell growth, differentiation and function. He is interested in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of systemic mast cell disorders including anaphylaxis and mastocytosis. He has helped characterize systemic allergic reactions to foods in adults and studied the prevalence and pathogenesis of reactions to food additives.
In 1993 Dr. Metcalfe was selected to head NIAID's Asthma, Allergic and Immunologic Diseases Cooperative Intramural Research Center. From 1985 to 1993, he was chief of the Mast Cell Physiology Section in the NIAID Laboratory of Clinical Investigation. He became a senior clinical investigator in the Allergic Diseases Section in 1979.
In 1968 he received his master's degree in microbiology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Dr. Metcalfe earned his medical degree from the University of Tennessee in 1972 and completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan Affiliated Hospitals in 1974. Dr. Metcalfe trained as a clinical associate in allergy and immunology at NIAID from 1974 to 1977. He then took a second fellowship in rheumatology and immunology at Harvard Medical School from 1977 to 1979. He is board certified in internal medicine, allergy and immunology, and rheumatology.
In recognition of his scientific contributions, Dr. Metcalfe has received the Commendation Medal and the Outstanding Service Medal of the Public Health Service. In 1992 he received the Clemons von Perquet Award from Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The author and co-author of more than 220 scientific publications, Dr. Metcalfe is the past or present member of six editorial boards, including the Journal of Immunology. He is a member of the board of directors of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, chair-elect of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, and a member of the American Rheumatism Association, the American Association of Immunologists, the Clinical Immunology Society, the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.
NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, influenza, tuberculosis, malaria and illness from potential agents of bioterrorism. NIAID also supports research on transplantation and immune-related illnesses, including autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.
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