Dr. Michael Callahan is a Staff Physician at MGH in internal medicine and infectious disease, and a clinical subject matter expert for international clinical trials for the Assistant Secretary of Public Health Preparedness (ASPR) of the Dept. of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC. Dr. Callahan has conducted federal-funded basic science and clinical research in tropical infectious disease, sepsis and immune therapeutics since 1986. In 2004 he was recruited by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to run the $260M Accelerated Manufacture of Pharmaceuticals program to protect against natural and intentional pandemics, and antimicrobial resistance. While at DARPA, Dr. Callahan initiated 8 programs, which developed FIH therapeutics, launched 11 companies, three of which have exceeded $1B in revenues within 8-years. Dr. Callahan’s inventions include liposomal encapsulated antimicrobials, vesicle encapsulation of antimicrobials for steady plasma pK (for weeks), development of triolose field stable monoclonal antibodies for tropical disease and cancer, FIHgene encoded protein therapies for endogenous, non- encoded immune protection. Dr. Callahan serves as President of Cellular Therapies at United Therapeutics Corporation.
Before coming to MGH, Dr. Callahan was director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) clinical research programs in Nigeria, DRC (then Zaire) and Ghana. His research focus was congenital malaria, dengue and chikungunya immune convalescent syndrome and filovirus infections (Ebola and Marburg). He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed papers, including 9 U.S. Government guidance documents for infectious disease investments, and 15 chapters in leading textbooks of Medicine and Infectious Diseases, 8 US and international patents for medical advances and has served on over 20 Presidential Commissions or Institute of Medicine Working Groups for Zika, Ebola, Pandemic and Avian Influenza, Biodefense Redirection of FSU Biological Weapons, International drug counterfeiting and the advancement of low cost biologics for low and middle income nations. Dr. Callahan is the recipient of numerous international awards including the Secretary of Defense Award for National
Service, The DARPA National Service Award, the Edward M. Kennedy Award for Advancement in Health Care, and the 2018 International Society of Travel Medicine Award for his work in Zika convalescence. Dr. Callahan is a member of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) executive counsel, and is one of 7 U.S. physicians providing 24/7 emergency consultation for U.S. personnel infected with highly dangerous pathogens.
- BS; Toxicology (1) Microbiology (2) University of Massachusetts at Amherst
- MD; University of Alabama School of Medicine
- Medical Residency & Chief Medical Resident; Tuft-New England Medical Center Hospital
- Fellowship Training; University of Colorado Health Sciences and National Jewish Hospital, Denver, Colorado (Board-certified in Infectious Diseases & Internal Medicine)
- Diplomat: Tropical Medicine and Hygiene: Royal Society of Physicians
Dr. Callahan receives philanthropic and United Nations support for his work in highly dangerous pathogen outbreak response and continues as Command Physician 17 for the federal charter international response agency, Rescue Medicine, headquartered in Abuja, Nigeria. He has responded to 7 Ebola/Marburg outbreaks; SARS-CoV (Hong Kong), HPAI (Jakarta, Hong Kong, Bangkok), the 2004 Aceh Tsunami, and led the first U.S. team deployed to Liberia for the 2014-15 West African Ebola outbreak. Dr. Callahan has clinical teaching appointments at Chulalongkorn Medical University and is guest faculty at Infectious Disease Hospital, Jakarta, and Montebello Medical University in Kaduna, Nigeria.