Brett Giroir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brett P. Giroir, M.D.[1] (born November 4, 1960, Marrero, Louisiana) is an American biomedical researcher. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer for the Texas A&M Health Science Center, a premier assembly of colleges devoted to educating health professionals and researchers. He is best known for his scientific leadership at DARPA, and his novel biomedical initiatives within Texas culminating in the 2012 announcement of a public private partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service Biomedical Research and Development Authority to create a Center for Innovation in Texas to accelerate research and development of vaccines and therapeutics and to rapidly produce these products in the event of a pandemic or other national emergencies.

Education and career[edit]

Education[edit]

Giroir received his A.B. degree in biology from Harvard University, magna cum laude, in 1982. He was the first college graduate in his family. Giroir later earned his M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 1986, Alpha Omega Alpha, and conducted his residency (1986–1989), chief residency (1989–1990) and fellowship (1990–1991) in pediatrics at the medical center, specifically at Children's Medical Center (Dallas) and Parkland Memorial Hospital. Giroir received his post-doctoral training at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Bruce Beutler, 2011 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine.

UT Southwestern Medical Center[edit]

Following his fellowship, Giroir served on the faculty at UT Southwestern (1993–2004), earning the rank of tenured professor. He was the inaugural holder of the Associates First Capital Corporation Distinguished Chair in Pediatrics, and the Kathryne and Gene Bishop Distinguished Chair in Pediatric Care. His administrative positions included Director of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine, and Director of the Pediatric Intensive Care Units at Children's Medical Center and Parkland Memorial Hospital. In 2000, Giroir was named the Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs at UT Southwestern, while taking on the role as the inaugural Chief Medical Officer at Children's Medical Center (Dallas). Giroir led a medical staff of over 750 physicians, and expanded the services of the hospital to better serve the regions burgeoning pediatric population. His research focused on severe life-threatening infectious diseases, including meningococcal disease (“the college meningitis”). Giroir’s research was featured on a PBS NOVA entitled “Killer Disease on Campus”[2] which originally aired in 2002. Giroir has published over 85 academic articles, chapters and books on a variety of topics including host-pathogen interactions and novel therapies for life-threatening infectious diseases.

Governmental Appointments[edit]

Due to his work on life-threatening infectious diseases, and while continuing to serve full-time at UT Southwestern, Giroir accepted membership on the Defense Sciences Research Council (DSRC, 1999–2004), an agile academic and technical assessment council charged with assisting DARPA (The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) in developing novel, world-changing R&D initiatives. Giroir co-chaired or participated in studies related to biological weapons decontamination and universal medial countermeasures to biological threats during his appointment with the DSRC.

In 2004, Giroir accepted a full-time position at DARPA as Deputy Director of the Defense Sciences Offices (DSO), and then as its Director from 2007 to 2008. Among the most noted programs begun during this time were a comprehensive biodefense thrust known as Accelerating Critical Therapeutics and numerous programs in fundamental mathematics, engineering, and human performance. During Giroir’s tenure, the Defense Sciences Office developed the following biodefense programs and other programs related to biosecurity with the goal of developing new technologies and approaches to be transitioned for translation by other agencies:

• Unconventional Pathogen Countermeasures to develop new approaches to vaccines and treatments for emerging diseases and agents of bioterrorism
• Rapid Vaccine Assessment to develop an artificial immune system to rapidly test vaccines and avoid lengthy, poorly predictive preclinical trials
• Predicting Health and Disease to develop pre-symptomatic diagnostics for infectious diseases
• Radiation Biodosimetry to immediately determine radiation exposure
• Peak Soldier Performance to explore natural and nutritional mechanisms to maintain warfighter performance, including improving resistance to infectious disease
• Surviving Blood Loss to the extend the “golden hour” of trauma to the “golden six hours” through the creation of new therapies that can temporarily reduce oxygen demand
• Revolutionizing Prosthetics to develop the first neurally controlled fully functional human arm and hand

Giroir was also selected as a member of the Defense Sciences Study Group,[3] a two-year intensive program to develop emerging leaders in science and technology. He was a member of the External Advisory Board, NASA National Center for Space Biological Technologies (2003–2007),[4] and as the chair on the Chemical and Biological Defense Panel (2009–2010) for the Threat Reduction Advisory Committee (TRAC).

In October 2013 Giroir appeared before the House Armed Services Committee Subcommittee on Intelligence, Emerging Threats and Capabilities hearing on Biodefense: Worldwide Threats and Countermeasure Efforts for the Department of Defense.[5]

Texas A&M University System[edit]

Giroir served as Vice Chancellor for Research (2008–2011), and Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives (2011-2013). He maintains professor appointments in the Texas A&M College of Medicine, Dwight Look College of Engineering, and The Bush School of Government and Public Service, and is adjunct professor at the Baylor College of Medicine. Giroir’s major focus has been leading the development of the biotechnology initiatives within the Texas A&M University System and One Health Plus Biocorridor in Brazos County. In this regard, Giroir was the lead investigator and Program Director for the design, development, and implementation of the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM), a first-in-class biopharmaceutical research and development program at Texas A&M University. This program has been featured in many national programs, including the National Academy of Engineering Forum on 21st Century Manufacturing.[6] Giroir was also the Co-Investigator on a Department of Defense sponsored project within the Blue Angel Program to develop and successfully implement the world’s most capable plant-made vaccine and therapeutic manufacturing program.

The culmination of these efforts was the award of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Biomedical Research and Development Authority Center for Innovation. Along with two other national centers, the Texas A&M Center will be responsible for biosecurity preparedness for the United States, supplying 50 million doses of pandemic influenza vaccine in a national emergency, and responding to known and previously unknown biological threats. The Center is responsible for developing and manufacturing medical countermeasures for the Strategic National Stockpile against all chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.

In March 2013, GlaxoSmithKline and The Texas A&M University System announced U.S. Department of Health and Human Services approval of the establishment of an influenza-vaccine manufacturing facility as the anchor of the Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM) in Bryan-College Station, Texas. The announcement was hosted by Governor Rick Perry where he announced that the projected economic impact of this award to the State of Texas was estimated at $41 billion and included nearly 7,000 long term jobs.[7]

Other Work[edit]

Giroir currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University and the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute at the University of Michigan. He serves on the Board of Managers for Kalon Biotherapeutics, and the Board of Directors for BioHouston and NASA’s National Space Biomedical Research Institute and is a member of the Texas Medical Center Strategic Planning Steering Committee.

He has appeared extensively in the media including CNBC, CNN, Reuters, New York Times, USA Today and BBC World Service Radio.

2012 Dallas Morning NewsTexan of the Year Finalist[8]

Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service

Texas A&M University System Award for Innovation

Alpha Omega Alpha, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

American Heart Association, Lyndon Baines Johnson Research Award Society for Pediatric Research

Dallas Business Journal, Health Care Hero Award

Society of Critical Care Medicine, “SCCM Annual Scientific Award”

Society of Critical Care Medicine, “Presidential Citation”

Child Magazine, “Ten pediatricians who make a difference”

National High School Debate Champion

National Merit Scholar

Harvard Scholar

Personal life[edit]

Giroir and his wife, Jill, have two daughters, Jacqueline and Madeline.[9]

References[edit]

External links[edit]