Talking in the crisp, direct manner of a man on a mission, Dr. Elias Z. Zerhouni says, “We are in a time of transition. The world is global, and we need innovation now more than ever before.” And he makes clear that he feels privileged to be a leader in the transition.
Dr. Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health since May 2002, oversees the medical research agency’s 17,000 employees at 27 institutes and centers. A highly respected innovator in the field of radiology and medicine, he served as executive vice dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in addition to holding several academic positions, prior to being named to his current post.
Dr. Zerhouni came to the United States in 1975 after receiving his medical degree, at the age of 24, from the University of Algiers in Algeria. He was intrigued by the field of radiology, although the specialty was not popular at that time. “Radiology is a combination of math, physics, and computer science, as well as medicine and biology,” he tells us, “and I was immediately fascinated by its potential to help people.”
He found support in the research-oriented environment of Johns Hopkins. “At Hopkins, success is based on merit. Performance matters most of all,” he says. His research and academic careers flourished at the famed institution, where he earned eight patents and developed new methods of medical treatment using radiology.
There is a message here for students in any field, he believes: “Follow your instincts in going into new fields. Be willing to identify the next wave and go there.”
Lessons in Leadership
Dr. Zerhouni, an Arab-American Muslim, views his NIH stewardship as an opportunity to repay a debt to the country that welcomed and nourished him. “This agency is the crown jewel of the federal government,” he says. “In the past 30 years, mortality from heart disease has decreased by 60 percent and from stoke by 70 percent. Much of this is due to research done by or for NIH. ... Overall, Americans are living better by 30 percent. There is nothing like [NIH]. Nothing returns better dividends to the taxpayer.”
He sees a number of challenges confronting America’s scientific and medical prominence, however: “We must continue to develop science. We must encourage innovation, encourage new scientists, and continue promoting the best and the brightest to the most difficult work.”
“We need to expose minorities early to the vast potential of scientific fields as a career.” By introducing students to their potential, he believes, “we can expose students to new options and prepare them for careers in scientific or scientifically-related fields.”
No Fear of Risk
“This is more of a golden age than what I went through,” Dr. Zerhouni says, “and when things change fast, opportunity is greatest.”
He urges students to seize these opportunities. “Don’t lower your own expectations,” he tells them. “Have big dreams and live those dreams.”
Elias Zerhouni has not been afraid to take risks in his own life, and he urges students to be courageous in building their own careers. “Don't be risk averse,” he says. “This is your day to take the most difficult road you can find. You can make it. I know you can.”
