John I. Gallin

John Isaac Gallin (March 25, 1943 - October 10, 2024) was an American medical researcher who contributed to the understanding of innate immunity but especially chronic granulomatous disease, a phagocyte disorder.

Gallin was appointed director of the NIH Clinical Center on May 1, 1994, and served until January 8, 2017. He also served as the chief scientific officer for the Clinical Center and associate director for clinical research at the National Institutes of Health.

Education and career Gallin was born on March 25, 1943, in New York City, His father was an attorney, and his mother was trained as a social worker, but then became a stay-at-home mom. He graduated from New Rochelle High School in New Rochelle, NY, in 1961. He graduated cum laude from Amherst College in 1965. He earned his M.D. from Cornell Medical College of Cornell University in 1969.

In August 2016, Gallin was appointed to the newly created positions of NIH associate director for clinical research and chief scientific officer for the Clinical Center. These posts reported directly to the NIH Director and oversaw independent research programs, clinical research training and the scientific review process for all clinical protocols conducted at the NIH. On January 8, 2017, Gallin stepped down as the director of the NIH Clinical Center to focus full-time as the chief scientific officer of the Clinical Center and NIH associate director for clinical research.

Gallin published or co-authored more than 355 articles in scientific journals and edited two textbooks: Inflammation, Basic Principles and Clinical Correlates (Lippincott, Williams, and Wilkins, 1999) and Principles and Practices of Clinical Research (Academic Press, 2002, 4th edition (2018).

Medical research Gallin's primary research interests were on the role of phagocytes, the body's scavenger cells in host defense. His research focused on rare hereditary immune disorders, and he identified the genetic basis of several diseases of the phagocytes (neutrophils and macrophages). When phagocytes fail to produce hydrogen peroxide and bleach, CGD results. The laboratory described the genetic basis for several forms of CGD and the research has reduced life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections in CGD patients. He, along with Clinical Center nurses, conceived and championed identifying resources from the NIH Foundation to construct the NIH Edmond J. Safra Family Lodge which opened in 2005.

Gallin stressed the importance of collaboration and helped open the Clinical Center and its depth of resources to the research community outside NIH. and raising three children, and Michael Louis Gallin, an architect practicing outside New York City who has two children.

Selected publications Books Gallin, J. I., Ognibene, F.P., Johnson, L.L. "Principles and Practice of Clinical Research, 4th ed." New York, Academic Press 2018. Gallin, J. I., Snyderman, R., Haynes B F., Nathan C., Fearon D.T. "Inflammation: Basic Principles and Clinical Correlates, 3rd Ed." New York, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins. 1999. Metcalf, J. A., Gallin, J. I., Nauseef, W. M. and Root, R. K. "Laboratory Manual of Neutrophil Function." New York, Raven Press, Ltd. 1986. Gallin, J. I. and Quie, P. G. "Leukocyte Chemotaxis: Methods, Physiology and Clinical Implications." New York, Raven Press, Ltd. 1978.

Journal articles