Wesley C.

Van Voorhis

MD

PhD

related links

BIO

Wes attended MIT for his SB degree and Cornell Medical College and Rockefeller University (RU) for his MD/PhD degrees. At RU, he was the first to discover and characterize human dendritic cells (antigen presenting accessory cells). Wes’ PhD advisor, Dr. Ralph Steinman, was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize for Medicine for Dr. Steinman’s discovery of dendritic cells.  He trained in Internal Medicine at UC San Francisco and in Infectious Diseases (IDs) at the University of Washington (UW).  At the University of Washington, Wes practices medicine, teaches, does laboratory research, and is the Director of CERID, the UW Center for Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases.  CERID takes a multidisciplinary approach to identifying and developing diagnostic, therapeutic and vaccine solutions to emerging IDs.  For the past 25 years, Wes has worked on pre-clinical drug development for malaria, trypanosomes, leishmania, cryptosporidium, and most recently SARS-CoV-2. In the past 2 years, he’s been doing pandemic virus detection research, leading a group called United World Antivirus Research Network, or UWARN, which has international partners in Brazil, Pakistan, Senegal, South Africa, and Taiwan.  Wes has published over 280 peer-reviewed papers and won numerous academic awards.

Research INterests

• Drug Development
• neglected diseases
• emerging infectious diseases
• structural biology. 

CLIncal Interests

• General Infectious Diseases

Education & Training:

1973-1976    Massachusetts Institute of Technology B.S., Biology

1976-1983    Rockefeller University, Ph.D., Immunology

1978-1984    Cornell University Medical College, M.D.

1984-1985    Intern, Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

1985-1986    Resident, Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco

1986-1989    Fellow, Infectious Diseases, University of Washington Medical School and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Honors:

1976    Research Fellowship, Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

1977    National Science Foundation Graduate Student Fellowship

1978    Medical Scientist Training Program Fellowship

1984    Franklyn Ellenbogen Prize in Hematology/Oncology, Cornell University Medical College

1986    Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society Award for Excellence, Medical House Officer/Teacher, University of California, San Francisco Medical School Class of 1988

1989    Searle Scholar Award PEW Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences Award

1991    Research Career Development Award, NIH

1997    Elected, American Society for Clinical Investigation

2000-2003    Councilor, Western Society for Clinical Investigation

2001    Young Investigator Award, Western Society of Clinical Investigation

2002    Award from 1st Year Medical Student Class for Best Teacher of the Winter 2002 quarter

2003    Award from 1st Year Medical Student Class for Best Teacher of the Winter 2003 quarter

2003    PI of 2003 Project of Year Award from Medicines for Malaria Venture

2003-2006    Secretary Treasurer, Western Society for Clinical Investigation

2005    Elected, American Association of Physicians

2006-2007    President, Western Society for Clinical Investigation 

2003-2008    Chair (06-08) and Member, Training Program Directors Committee, Infectious Diseases Society of America

2005-2012    Chair, Drug Target Selection Group, Tropical Disease Research Unit, World Health Organization

2012    Science in Medicine Lecturer, University of Washington

2012-2013    President, Western Association of Physicians

2015    Mayo Soley Award for Research Excellence, Western Association of Physicians

2021    Elected, Washington State Academy of Sciences

    
 

Publications