Eleftherios E. Mylonakis MD, PhD, FIDSA

Dr. Eleftherios Mylonakis, MD, PhD, has been appointed chief of infectious diseases at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital. A highly regarded physician-scientist, Mylonakis comes to Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals from Massachusetts General Hospital, where he served as an associate physician. He was also an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. In his new role, Mylonakis will lead the infectious disease division at both Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals and will also oversee one of the hospitals' largest research divisions, with major initiatives under way in HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, hospital-acquired infections, tuberculosis, substance use and prisoner health.

"Dr. Mylonakis is not only a leading researcher in the field of antimicrobial agents but he is also a consummate clinician-educator who has mentored many successful young investigators," said Timothy J. Babineau, MD, president and chief executive officer at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals. "As someone who trained here, he understands our culture, expertise and potential, and is perfectly positioned to build upon these insights to inspire the next generation of researchers and propel us to become one of the nation's leading infectious disease centers."

Dr. Mylonakis is internationally recognized for his research on the study of host and microbial factors of infection and the discovery of antimicrobial agents, or substances that kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi. His research has received support from the National Institutes of Health and the Ellison Medical Foundation and he has published more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters. Mylonakis, who has edited five books on infectious diseases, is also the founding editor-in-chief of Virulence, an international peer-reviewed journal that focuses on microbial infections and host-pathogen interactions.

His accomplishments have led to several prestigious national awards, including the American Society for Microbiology's Young Investigator Award and the Infectious Disease Society of America's prestigious Oswald Avery Award. Mylonakis is also a 2011 inductee to the American Society for Clinical Investigation