Michael Osterholm | |
|---|---|
 Osterholm in 2021 | |
| Born | (1953-03-10)March 10, 1953 (age 72) Waukon, Iowa, U.S.[1] |
| Alma mater | Luther College (BA) University of Minnesota (MS,MPH,PhD) |
| Occupation | Epidemiologist |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Organization | |
| Notable work | Deadliest Enemy (2017) |
| Board member of | COVID-19 Advisory Board |
| Awards | |
Michael Thomas Osterholm (born March 10, 1953) is an Americanepidemiologist, Regents Professor at theUniversity of Minnesota School of Public Health, and director of theCenter for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at theUniversity of Minnesota.[2][3]
On November 9, 2020, Osterholm was named to newly elected PresidentJoe Biden'sCOVID-19 Advisory Board.[4]
Michael Osterholm was born inWaukon,Iowa, the son of a newspaper photographer.[5] According to Osterholm, his father was physically abusive and an alcoholic.[5]
Osterholm graduated fromLuther College in 1975 with aB.A. inbiology andpolitical science.[6] He received hisM.S. andPh.D. inenvironmental health and hisM.P.H. inepidemiology from theUniversity of Minnesota.
From 1975 to 1999, Osterholm served in various roles at theMinnesota Department of Health (MDH), including as stateepidemiologist and Chief of the Acute Disease Epidemiology Section from 1984 to 1999. At the MDH, Osterholm strengthened the department's role ininfectious disease epidemiology, notably including numerousfoodborne disease outbreaks, the association betweentampons andtoxic shock syndrome, and the transmission ofhepatitis B andhuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV) inhealthcare workers. Other work included studies regarding the epidemiology of infectious diseases in child-care settings, vaccine-preventable diseases (particularlyHaemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis B),Lyme disease, and other emerging and reemerging infections.[7]
From 2001 to early 2005, Osterholm served as a Special Advisor to then–Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) SecretaryTommy Thompson on issues related tobioterrorism and public health preparedness. In April 2002, he was appointed to the interim management team to lead theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), until the appointment ofJulie Gerberding as director in July 2002. Thompson asked Osterholm to assist Gerberding on his behalf during the transition period. He filled that role through January 2003.[7] In 2005, HHS SecretaryMike Leavitt appointed Osterholm to the National Science Advisory Board on Biosecurity.[7]
Osterholm is a frequent guest lecturer on the epidemiology of infectious diseases. He serves on the editorial boards of nine journals, includingInfection Control and Hospital Epidemiology andMicrobial Drug Resistance: Mechanisms, Epidemiology and Disease, and is a reviewer for 24 others, including theNew England Journal of Medicine, theJournal of the American Medical Association, andScience.[7] He discussed theCOVID-19 pandemic onThe Joe Rogan Experience in March 2020 and February 2022,[8][9] as well as on NBC'sMeet the Press in October 2020.[10]
Osterholm was the principal investigator and director of theNational Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported Minnesota Center of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance (2007–2014) and chaired the Executive Committee of the Centers of Excellence Influenza Research and Surveillance network.[11] He is a past president of theCouncil of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and served on the CDC'sNational Center for Infectious Diseases Board of Scientific Counselors from 1992 to 1997. Osterholm served on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Forum on Microbial Threats from 1994 to 2011. He has served on the IOM Committee on Emerging Microbial Threats to Health in the 21st Century and the IOM Committee on Food Safety, Production to Consumption, and was a reviewer for theIOM Report on Chemical and Biological Terrorism. As a member of theAmerican Society for Microbiology, Osterholm has served on the Committee on Biomedical Research of the Public and Scientific Affairs Board, the Task Force on Biological Weapons, and the Task Force onAntibiotic Resistance. He is a frequent consultant to theWorld Health Organization, the NIH, theFood and Drug Administration, theDepartment of Defense, and the CDC. He is a fellow of theAmerican College of Epidemiology and the IDSA.[7] He createdThe Osterholm Update: COVID-19, a podcast hosted by Chris Dall published every week beginning on March 24, 2020, and every other week after May 27, 2021. After the week of July 21, 2021, Osterholm again began providing weekly updates given the increasing severity of theDelta surge.
Osterholm has been particularly outspoken on the lack of international preparedness for aninfluenzapandemic.[12][13] He has also been an international leader against the use of biological agents as weapons targeted at civilians. In that role, he served as a personal advisor toKing Hussein of Jordan. Under Osterholm's leadership, CIDRAP has served as a partner in theDepartment of Homeland Security'sBioWatch program since 2003.[7][14]
In March 2017, Osterholm andMark Olshaker published the critically acclaimedDeadliest Enemy: Our War Against Killer Germs.[15][16][17]Richard Preston, author ofThe Hot Zone, wrote that the book "looks at the threat of emerging diseases with clarity and realism, and offers us not just fear but plans."[18] In April 2017,MinnPost published a two-part interview with Osterholm about the book.[19][20]
His invited papers in the journalsForeign Affairs, theNew England Journal of Medicine, andNature detailed the threat of an influenza pandemic before the2009–10 pandemic and the steps we must take to better prepare for such events. Osterholm has also published multiple commentaries inThe New York Times, most recently on the repercussions of reductions in funding for research and vaccine development, and how this affects our ability to respond to new infectious disease threats.[21]
Osterholm is the author of more than 315 papers and abstracts, including 21 book chapters.[7]
In 2025, he publishedThe Big One: How We Must Prepare for Future Deadly Pandemics.[22]
Osterholm has received honorary doctorates fromLuther College[23] andDes Moines University,[24] and is a member of theInstitute of Medicine of theNational Academy of Sciences.[7] His other honors include the Pumphandle Award from theCouncil of State and Territorial Epidemiologists; the Charles C. Shepard Science Award from the CDC; the Harvey W. Wiley Medal from theFood and Drug Administration; the Squibb Award from theInfectious Diseases Society of America; Distinguished University Teaching Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; and the Wade Hampton Frost Leadership Award, American Public Health Association. He has also received six major research awards from theNational Institutes of Health and the CDC.[7]
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