Elias Zerhouni
President of OPKO Health
Elias Zerhouni (born April 12, 1951, in Nedroma, Algeria) is an Algerian-American radiologist, biomedical engineer, and scientific leader. He earned his medical degree from the University of Algiers in 1975 and later moved to the United States, where he built a distinguished academic career at Johns Hopkins University.
Zerhouni served as the 15th Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 2002 to 2008, becoming the first immigrant to hold this position. During his tenure, he played a key role in shaping modern biomedical research policies.
After leaving the NIH, he held leadership roles in global health and industry, including President of Global Research and Development at Sanofi (2011–2018). He also co-founded ModeX Therapeutics and later became president of OPKO Health.
Throughout his career, Zerhouni has been recognized for his contributions to medical imaging and for advancing innovation in healthcare and biomedical research.