Dr. Louis Muglia Named President of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund

Renowned physician-scientist to take the helm in January 2020

Dr. Louis Muglia Named President of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC — Louis J. Muglia, MD, PhD, a renowned physician-scientist, has been named President of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, a private foundation located in Research Triangle Park, NC. Dr. Muglia will assume the position in January 2020.

Dr Muglia is currently the Vice Chair for Research, A. Graeme Mitchell Chair of the Division of Human Genetics, Co-Director of the Perinatal Institute and Director of the Center for Prevention of Preterm Birth at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Dr. Muglia has been involved with the Burroughs Wellcome Fund for more than 20 years. First, as a recipient of a Career Award in the Biomedical Sciences in 1995 from the Fund and then as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Career Awards in the Medical Sciences program. He has also been actively involved in the Reproductive Science funding area, serving on and chairing the advisory committee for the Preterm Birth Initiative.

“We are confident that Dr. Muglia will lead the Fund’s philanthropic efforts into new and exciting territories,” said Dr. Michael Welsh, the chair of the Fund’s Board of Directors and the head of the search committee. “He is an accomplished scientist who has advanced understanding and care surrounding preterm birth by championing collaborative efforts and building networks. We look forward to his successes at the Fund.”

Dr. Muglia has pioneered advances in analyzing hormones as they relate to the birth process and the maternal genetic response. By analyzing this response, it may help determine whether or not a mother is at risk to deliver a preterm birth or babies born before 37 weeks. Preterm birth is a major health and social challenge since preterm birth may lead to long-term health problems and development difficulties. His group has identified genetic regions in the mother’s genome that affect risk for preterm birth and provide new targets for prevention.

Among Dr. Muglia’s achievements are more than 260 publications and many awards, including a Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Development Award in the Biomedical Sciences, the Society of Pediatric Research Young Investigator Award, and election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation and Association of American Physicians. Dr. Muglia was also elected as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and to membership in the National Academy of Medicine. He is an active member of the Society for Pediatric Research, Society for Neuroscience, and the Pediatric Endocrine Society. Dr. Muglia served as chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.

Prior to joining Cincinnati Children’s, Dr. Muglia was Edward Claiborne Stahlman Professor and Vice Chair for Research Affairs in Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Alumni Endowed Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University in St. Louis.

Dr. Muglia earned his Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from the University of Chicago. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in biophysics from the University of Michigan.