Doug R. Lowy, MD

Principal Deputy Director, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

2015 Recipient, Harrington Prize for Innovation in Medicine

Dr. Douglas R. Lowy received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College and MD from New York University School of Medicine. He completed his residencies in internal medicine at Stanford University and dermatology at Yale University and pursued postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, where he studied viruses that cause leukemia in mice. His early training combined clinical medicine with laboratory science, setting the stage for a long-term career at the National Cancer Institute focused on understanding how viruses contribute to cancer and how that knowledge can be used to prevent disease.

Dr. Lowy’s research has transformed the prevention of virus‑related cancers, especially cervical cancer. Working with his collaborator John Schiller, he discovered how a single protein from a human papillomavirus (HPV) could be used to form virus‑like particles that safely mimic the virus without causing infection. This breakthrough led directly to the development of the preventive HPV vaccines, which protect against the strains responsible for most cervical cancers, as well as many head and neck, anal and other cancers. Their work has helped create one of the most effective cancer‑prevention tools in history, with the potential to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health problem in many parts of the world. Dr. Lowy’s research continues to explore viral mechanisms, cancer prevention strategies and ways to expand access to lifesaving vaccines.

Dr. Lowy was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement, for his role in developing the HPV vaccine. He also received the Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, among the most prestigious prizes in medicine, recognizing discoveries that have profoundly improved human health. His work has saved countless lives and reshaped global cancer prevention.