John Snow Professor of Epidemiology and Director of Center for Infection and Immunity
Columbia University Mailman school of Public Health
New York, New York, United States
W. Ian Lipkin is John Snow Professor, Director at Columbia University of the Center for Infection and Immunity, the Global Alliance for Preventing Pandemics, and the NIH Regional Center for Excellence in ME/CFS Research. Widely known as the “Virus Hunter”, Lipkin created many of the tools currently used for infectious disease surveillance and has led responses to outbreaks in >30 countries of hemorrhagic fevers, encephalitis, respiratory, blood and vector borne diseases. During the pandemic, he developed diagnostic tests and protocols that were critical for NYC, the entertainment industry, Amazon, and the Democratic National Convention, and public service videos encouraging vaccination. Lipkin was scientific advisor for the Soderbergh 2011 movie “Contagion”, recognized for accuracy and prescience.
His honors include Pew Scholar, Ellison Senior Scholar, Mendel Medal, Drexel Prize, CDC Charles C. Shepard Science Award; fellowships in the NY Academy of Science, American Society for Microbiology, Wildlife Conservation Society, AAAS, , Royal Geographic Society; memberships in Council on Foreign Relations and the Association of American Physicians; election to the National Academy of Inventors; and the Walter Reed, Hsu-Li, Bernard Fields, Oxford University Simonyi, and NIH Kinyoun Lectureships, He received a gold medal in 2016 from President Xi for contributions to China during SARS in 2003, and the Order of the Polar Star in 2024 from President Khürelsükh for contributions to Mongolia during the COVID pandemic.
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Thursday, November 13, 2025
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM EST