Joseph Heitman, MD, PhD, has been named the recipient of a 2025 Distinguished Faculty Award by the Duke Medical Alumni Association in recognition of his significant contributions to biomedical science, education, clinical impact, and leadership.
Heitman is an internationally recognized physician-scientist whose pioneering research has dramatically advanced the fields of microbiology, molecular genetics, and infectious diseases. He is the James B. Duke Professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke and co-director and fellow of the CIFAR program Fungal Kingdom: Threats & Opportunities.
Heitman’s early research with the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae led to the landmark discovery of FKBP12 and TOR as the targets of the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin, a breakthrough that has had lasting impact in organ transplantation, cancer therapy, and interventional cardiology. His work has also elucidated the TOR signaling pathway’s role in nutrient sensing and cellular growth regulation, with key insights into the roles of the TOR pathway in aging and metabolism.
Heitman’s research on the pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus has produce foundational contributions to understanding fungal virulence, morphogenesis, and sexual reproduction. His studies on mating-type loci and the evolution of sex in fungi have revealed parallels with sex chromosome evolution in higher organisms and led to the discovery of unisexual reproduction. He has identified novel antifungal drug targets and mechanisms of resistance, including the role of calcineurin in fungal pathogenesis and epimutations enforced by RNAi resulting in transient unstable antimicrobial drug resistance.
Heitman has authored over 500 peer-reviewed publications and received numerous prestigious awards, including the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Award, the Edward Novitski Prize, the Distinguished Mycologist Award, and the Lucille Georg Medal. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the German National Academy of Sciences-Leopoldina.
Heitman is a dedicated mentor, having guided over 50 postdoctoral fellows and 20 graduate students. His mentorship has been recognized with the Dean’s Excellence in Mentoring Award and the Duke Translational Research Mentoring Award.