The prize citation for Dr. Relman’s Barry Prize reads:
David Relman’s landmark analyses of the behavior of microorganisms in the human body have made signal contributions to medical science and public health. He was the first to describe microbiomes in several parts of the body using modern molecular methods, and has contributed to the identification of important disease agents, as well as the development of methods for pathogen discovery. The Academy honors Dr. Relman’s distinguished contributions to humanity’s understanding of the microscopic ecosystems inside us, the pathogens that threaten us, and the value of honest scientific discourse, to the benefit of human health and welfare.
David A. Relman is the Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor of Medicine and professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. He was an early pioneer in the modern study of the human indigenous microbiota (microbiome) and published two landmark papers that were among the first to describe the human oral and gut microbiota using modern molecular methods. He has served as a founding member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity; as a member of the Intelligence Community Studies Board at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine; as chair of the Boards of Scientific Counselors at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research and at the National Center for Biotechnology Information, both at the National Institutes for Health; and as president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. From May 2024 to January 2025, he served as senior advisor in the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response policy at the White House.
November 2025
The prize citation for Dr. Relman’s Barry Prize reads:
David Relman’s landmark analyses of the behavior of microorganisms in the human body have made signal contributions to medical science and public health. He was the first to describe microbiomes in several parts of the body using modern molecular methods, and has contributed to the identification of important disease agents, as well as the development of methods for pathogen discovery. The Academy honors Dr. Relman’s distinguished contributions to humanity’s understanding of the microscopic ecosystems inside us, the pathogens that threaten us, and the value of honest scientific discourse, to the benefit of human health and welfare.
David A. Relman is the Thomas C. and Joan M. Merigan Professor of Medicine and professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. He was an early pioneer in the modern study of the human indigenous microbiota (microbiome) and published two landmark papers that were among the first to describe the human oral and gut microbiota using modern molecular methods. He has served as a founding member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity; as a member of the Intelligence Community Studies Board at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine; as chair of the Boards of Scientific Counselors at the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research and at the National Center for Biotechnology Information, both at the National Institutes for Health; and as president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. From May 2024 to January 2025, he served as senior advisor in the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response policy at the White House.
November 2025