Photo of Dr. Regina Rabinovich

May 7, 2009

SIU Med School Names Distinguished Alumnus

Dr. Regina Rabinovich, director of infectious diseases development in the Global Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, is the recipient of the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine’s distinguished alumni award for 2009.  Rabinovich, class of 1982, was the founding director of the Malaria Vaccine Initiative at PATH (Program for Appropriate Technology in Health) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The award from the School’s Alumni Society Board of Governors recognizes outstanding contributions to medicine and distinguished service to humankind.  It will be presented at SIU’s commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16, in Springfield.

Rabinovich’s nominators wrote “Dr. Rabinovich has had an exemplary career including service at the NIH as well as the Gates Foundation.  She is an internationally known figure in the field of vaccine research and policy, particularly related to malaria vaccine.  The succession of her responsibilities for critical activities with prestigious organizations attests to the high regard in which she is held by leaders in medicine and public health.  She stands nationally and internationally as an exemplary tribute to the education received at your institution.”

Nominators also said Rabinovich gives generously of her time with lectures and presentations to university, regional, national and international gatherings as well as committee contributions including the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization.  Rabinovich has published and presented numerous articles on vaccine research and serves on various boards, including the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria.

Through her support of the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Africa program at PATH, she is helping accelerate the availability of known malaria control interventions in sub-Saharan Africa.  Her dedication to disadvantaged people around the world is making a real impact on the lives of those disproportionately affected by the disease.   

Rabinovich completed a fellowship in epidemiology at the National Institutes of Health (1991), residencies in preventive medicine and pediatrics and master’s in public health at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine (1988, 1986, 1988).  She earned her bachelor’s at the University of Iowa (1976).  Rabinovich is a diplomate and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

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