MSM's Dr. Barney Graham to be Inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame
Immunologist, virologist and director of the MSM David Satcher Global Health Equity Institute to be honored for his groundbreaking vaccine research.
Dr. Barney Graham
Director, David Satcher Global Health Equity Institute & Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology, MSM.
ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 15, 2025 – Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is proud to announce that Barney Graham MD, PhD, has been selected by the National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) as a member of its 2025 class of inductees. A world-renowned immunologist and virologist, Dr. Graham currently serves as director of the David Satcher Global Health Equity Institute and as a professor of Medicine and Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology at MSM.
The NIHF said it was recognizing Dr. Graham and structural biologist Jason McLellan for their use of structure-based vaccine design to stabilize and modify surface proteins of viruses. Dr. Graham and Dr. McLellan applied their discoveries to the development of COVID-19 vaccines, contributing to billions of doses administered since 2020. The first vaccines approved for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are also based on their research, which may fuel the development of additional vaccines in the future.
"I am honored to be part of the 2025 National Inventors Hall of Fame class," Dr. Graham said. "I've had the privilege and freedom to explore my ideas because I ended up in systems that supported me. However, there are a lot of people from all walks of life and backgrounds who could have done the things I’ve done if they had the opportunity. Right now, the world needs all its talent to solve the problems we have, and my hope is that we can open doors for the next generation of young people who can solve those problems."
A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Graham joined Morehouse School of Medicine in 2022 after two decades at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he was deputy director of the Vaccine Research Center and chief of the Viral Pathogenesis Laboratory. He is dedicated to improving equity in opportunities to train and conduct research, as well as in access to the benefits of research including the equitable distribution of manufacturing capabilities.
Dr. Graham's many honors include the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal for Federal Employee of the Year and the Albany Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research in 2021; the Sabin Vaccine Institute's Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal in 2021; the National Academy of Sciences John J. Carty Award for the Advancement of Science in 2022; and the 2021 Charles Mérieux Award for Achievement in Vaccinology and Immunology and 2022 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement, both from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
While at MSM, Dr. Graham has been honored with the 2024 International Vaccine Institute-SK Bioscience Park MahnHoon Award, which he shared with Dr. McLellan, as well as being named to STAT's 2024 STATUS List of leaders in the life sciences in February 2024 and to the inaugural TIME100 Health List in May 2024.
More information about the National Inventors Hall of Fame, including its 2025 inductees, is available at Invent.org.
To learn more about Morehouse School of Medicine, please visit MSM.edu.
About Morehouse School of Medicine
Founded in 1975, Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) is among the nation’s leading educators of primary care physicians, biomedical scientists and public health professionals. An independent and private historically Black medical school, MSM was recognized by the Annals of Internal Medicine as the nation’s number one medical school in fulfilling a social mission – leading the creation and advancement of health equity to achieve health justice. MSM faculty and alumni are noted for excellence in teaching, research and public policy, as well as exceptional patient care. MSM is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctoral and master’s degrees. To learn more about programs and donate today, please visit MSM.edu or call 404-752-1500.
Contact
Jamille Bradfield
Director, External Communications and Media Relations
Morehouse School of Medicine
jbradfield@msm.edu