Griffin Platt Rodgers

Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers is the Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) – one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Chief of the NIH NIDDK Molecular and Hematology Branch, and Section Chief of the NIH NIDDK Molecular Hematology Section. Rodgers provides scientific leadership and manages a staff of over 600 employees and a budget of $2.0 billion. As the first African-American Director of the NIDDK, Rodgers has led research on chronic, costly public health problems including diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease. He has propelled programs to combat health disparities, to increase diversity in research, and to increase the number of individuals in academia coming from historically disadvantaged backgrounds. As a research investigator, Rodgers is widely recognized for his contributions to the development of the first effective FDA-approved therapy for sickle cell anemia. He was a principal investigator in clinical trials to develop therapy for patients with sickle cell disease and also performed basic research that focused on understanding the molecular basis of how certain drugs induce gamma-globin gene expression. Recently, he and his collaborators have reported on a modified blood stem-cell transplant regimen that is highly effective in reversing sickle cell disease in adults and is associated with relatively low toxicity. He has been honored for his research with numerous awards including the 1998 Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, the 2000 Arthur S. Flemming Award, the Legacy of Leadership Award in 2002, and a Mastership from the American College of Physicians in 2005. Rodgers has published over 200 original research articles, reviews, and book chapters, has edited four books and monographs, and holds 3 patents. In addition to his American Academy of Arts and Sciences membership, Rodgers is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the National Academy of Medicine.