Hotez was awarded postdoctoral positions in molecularparasitology and pediatric infectious diseases atYale University School of Medicine, where he subsequently became an assistant professor in 1992 and an associate professor in 1995. His early research focused on the pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms of human hookworm infection that eventually led to his patented vaccine now inclinical trials,[11][12] as well as a vaccine againstschistosomiasis, also in clinical trials,[13] either of which could be the first successful vaccine for humans to protect against a multi-cellularparasite.[14]
From 2000 to 2011, Hotez served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology and Tropical Medicine (renamed in 2005 as the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine) at theGeorge Washington University.[15]
Following the World Health Organization's (WHO)Millennium Development Goals in 2000, Hotez, along with Drs. Alan Fenwick andDavid Molyneux, led a global effort to rename diseases then being termed simply "other diseases," as "neglected tropical diseases" (NTDs), and promoting the use of therapeutic/preventivechemotherapy through a combination of drugs called the "rapid-impact package."[16] Hotez has advocated for increased efforts to control NTDs since 2005 through publications and speaking engagements, helping to gain increased awareness resulting in a decrease of prevalence and disease burden in many areas.[17]
Hotez used his public profile onTwitter and other social media platforms to combatmisinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic and about vaccines. He also made many appearances as an invited expert on cable and network television news programs, as well as radio programs.[22][23][24] In an interview with theAmerican Medical Association, Hotez noted that communicating clear messages about the ongoing pandemic is of vital importance in an environment that is rife with confusing and misleading messages. "We've been hearing either the sky was falling or there was no problem... the reality is more nuanced than that and that requires some explanation based on scientific principles."[25]
Hotez has warned that contrary to popular belief, more young adults than expected would be hospitalized due to theoutbreak of COVID-19: "The message is that we've been trying to appeal to younger adults and have them shelter away and do the social distancing and explaining why they're at risk for transmitting the virus to vulnerable populations."[26] In 2020 he warned against optimisticCOVID-19 vaccine timelines, arguing that rushing could cause problems, "potentially mak[ing] individuals worse and threaten[ing] vaccine development in the U.S."[27] On August 7, 2020, he said in a television interview that theUS can expect to be affected by COVID-19 for "years and years" even after Americans are vaccinated. In that interview, he also blamed thefederal government for not taking action to contain the spread of the virus.[28]
Like many other public health experts who used social media during the pandemic, Hotez was the target ofonline harassment.[29] He had already experienced significant prior harassment because of his vaccine advocacy, including at his lectures, receiving online threats, and being blamed for his daughter's autism.[30] In June 2023, he tweeted his concerns aboutRobert F. Kennedy Jr. sharing misinformation about vaccines onJoe Rogan's podcast. Rogan, Kennedy, and Twitter ownerElon Musk asked Hotez to participate in a debate on the podcast. Upon declining the invitation, Hotez was harassed by their fans, with anti-vaccine activistAlex Rosen confronting him at his home.[29][31][32] At around the same time, he had been the subject of attacks by followers ofSteve Bannon andTucker Carlson who had separately denigrated him.[33] In October 2023, he was given the inaugural Anthony Fauci Courage in Leadership Award from the Infectious Diseases Society of America for his efforts in combating anti-science.[34]
Hotez has proposed "sciencetikkun", a bioscience policy, diplomacy, and advocacy framework focused on climate activism, pandemic prevention, vaccine development, neurodiversity research, fighting discrimination against Jewish and Israeli scientists, and countering anti-science activities.[35]
Hotez is the parent of anautistic daughter. In his 2018 bookVaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey As a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad he declared that vaccines did not cause his daughter´s autism.
In 2008, he was elected to membership in theInstitute of Medicine of the National Academies.[48] He is an ambassador of the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research, a Fellow of theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (FAAP), a member of theWorld Health Organization Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee for WHO TDR (Special Programme on Tropical Diseases Research),[49] and in 2011, Hotez was appointed as a member of theNational Institutes of Health (NIH) Council of Councils.[50] He is a member of the inaugural class of Fellows of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.[51]
He is a co-editor ofKrugman's Infectious Diseases of Children, 11th Edition,[52] and co-editor ofManson's Tropical Diseases, 23rd Edition andFeigin and Cherry's Textbook of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 7th Edition.
He is the co-author of the reference work calledParasitic Diseases, 5th Edition.[53]
^Parasitic Diseases, Fifth Edition: 9780970002778: Medicine & Health Science Books @. Apple Tree Productions. 2005.ISBN978-0970002778.
^Mann, Michael E.; Hotez, Peter J. (September 9, 2025).Science Under Siege: How to Fight the Five Most Powerful Forces that Threaten our World (1st ed.). Hachette Book Group.ISBN1541705491.
