Payam Nahid, MD, MPH is Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine and Executive Director of the Institute for Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. Throughout his career, he has helped to shape the global tuberculosis research agenda, leading efforts to transform care through research, mentorship, and advocacy.
Dr. Nahid co-led the landmark clinical trial of the 4-month rifapentine–moxifloxacin–based regimen, conducted across 13 countries, that shortened treatment for drug-susceptible tuberculosis to four months, a major advance endorsed by the CDC and the World Health Organization and adopted globally.
He has served on the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Tuberculosis and is Senior Research Advisor to the multinational SMART4TB Consortium, funded by the U.S. Department of State, which accelerates the development and implementation of new diagnostics and therapies in high-burden countries. In partnership with the Vietnam National TB Programme, he co-founded a clinical trials and research collaboration unit in Hanoi that has strengthened national TB programs and advanced locally led scientific leadership.
He is the founding Director of the UCSF Center for Tuberculosis and Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded UC TB Research Advancement Center, dedicated to training a diverse next generation of TB scientists across pulmonary medicine, infectious disease, and beyond. Dr. Nahid has chaired major U.S. and international tuberculosis guideline groups representing the American Thoracic Society and has represented the Society in national policy discussions and advocacy advancing global lung health.
Through research, mentorship, and advocacy, Dr. Nahid has shown consistent commitment to translating science into action to expand access to life-saving TB care and reduce disparities in lung health worldwide.