Lisa Ellen Hensley is the associate director of science at the Office of the Chief Scientist,

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, ) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's ...

Integrated Research Facility in Frederick, Maryland. She was previously a civilian

microbiologist A microbiologist (from Ancient Greek, Greek ) is a scientist who studies microscopic life forms and processes. This includes study of the growth, interactions and characteristics of Microorganism, microscopic organisms such as bacteria, algae, f ...

in the virology division of the

United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases The United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID; pronounced: you-SAM-rid) is the U.S Army's main institution and facility for defensive research into countermeasures against biological warfare. It is located ...

(USAMRIID). Hensley is one of the premier researchers of some of the world's most dangerous infections, including

Ebola hemorrhagic fever Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after becom ...

Lassa fever Lassa fever, also known as Lassa hemorrhagic fever (LHF), is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms. When symptoms occur they typically include fever, weakness, h ...

, the coronavirus diseases

Severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''seve ...

(SARS) and

Middle East respiratory syndrome Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by ''Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus'' (MERS-CoV). Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. Typical symptoms include fever, cough, ...

(MERS), and

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

. She has been involved in research uncovering critical mechanisms in the pathogenesis of hemorrhagic fever viruses, and has used those discoveries to develop candidate therapeutic drugs for their treatment. Hensley is a native of

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

. Before working with USAMRIID, she worked as a staff fellow at the

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is part of the United States National Institutes of Health, which in turn is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. NIDDK is approximately the fifth-largest ...

, part of the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH). She also held graduate teaching and research posts at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, where she achieved her Ph.D. (advisor Ralph S. Baric), and at

Duke University Medical Center Duke University Hospital is a 957-acute care bed academic tertiary care facility located in Durham, North Carolina. Established in 1930, it is the flagship teaching hospital for the Duke University Health System, a network of physicians and hosp ...

in Durham, North Carolina. Hensley joined USAMRIID in 1998 as a research associate in the Pathology Division. She has co-authored over 180 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals on a variety of infectious disease topics. She now serves as the Chief of Viral Therapeutics, Virology Division at USAMRIID. A 2006 Lancet article co-authored by Hensley published results on progress for treatment of

Marburg virus Marburg virus (MARV) is a hemorrhagic fever virus of the ''Filoviridae'' family of viruses and a member of the species '' Marburg marburgvirus'', genus ''Marburgvirus''. It causes Marburg virus disease in primates, a form of viral hemorrhagic f ...

, a severe hemorrhagic virus with potential utility as a biological weapon. The study tested the efficacy of a new post-exposure vaccine for Marburg using a rhesus macaque model. It found that rhesus monkeys exposed to the vaccine survived a high-dose lethal challenge of Marburg for at least 80 days, while the control monkeys died after day 12. A co-authored 2005 paper in PLOS Medicine reviewed the development of a vaccine for

, for which there are currently no vaccines licensed. Their trial vaccine elicited a protective immune response in nonhuman primates, and when infected with Lassa, they showed no evidence of clinical disease. Hensley is the subject of a chapter in journalist

Richard Preston Richard Preston (born August 5, 1954) is a writer for ''The New Yorker'' and bestselling author who has written books about infectious disease, bioterrorism, redwoods and other subjects, as well as fiction. Biography Preston was born in Cambri ...

's 2002 book '' Demon in the Freezer'', which covers the history of

smallpox eradication Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) cer ...

and the current debates over remaining smallpox stocks. In Chapter 5, “A Woman With a Peaceful Life,” Preston recounts Hensley's beginnings as a researcher with USAMRIID and her eventual recruitment to the CDC to collaborate on smallpox research. Hensley was part of the team responsible for the first nonhuman smallpox infection (in monkeys), proving the potential for continued live-animal smallpox research. Some would argue that the experiment's success bolsters the argument of "retentionists", who oppose elimination of smallpox stores largely so that they can continue to be researched. In 2007, Hensley was recognized as one of the year's "

Ten Outstanding Young Americans The Ten Outstanding Young Americans (TOYA) program is an annual award given by JCI USA (formally known as The United States Junior Chamber or the Jaycees). It is given to ten Americans between 18 and 40 years of age who "exemplify the best attribu ...

" (TOYA) by the

United States Junior Chamber The United States Junior Chamber, also known as the Jaycees, JCs or JCI USA, is a leadership training, service organization and civic organization for people between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a branch of Junior Chamber International (JCI). ...

(Jaycees). The award honors Americans ages 18–40 who “exemplify the best attributes of the nation’s young people.” In 2008, she was selected as one of the year's Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the world ("

TOYP Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World (TOYP) program serves to formally recognize young people who excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people. The program is sponsored by Junior Chamber Interna ...

") by JCI (

Junior Chamber International Junior Chamber International, commonly referred to as JCI, is a non-profit international non-governmental organization of young people between and years old. It has members in about 124 countries, and regional or national organizations in mo ...

). Similar to the TOYA award, this program recognizes young people who excel in their chosen fields and exemplify the best attributes of the world's young people.

Works consulted

*Daddario-DiCaprio, Kathleen M. “Postexposure protection against Marburg haemorrhagic fever with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus vectors in non-human primates: an efficacy assessment.” The Lancet 367.9520 (2006): 1399-1404 *Civilian Personnel Online. �
Army Civilians Profile of the Month: Oct 2007 Profile of the Month—Dr. Lisa Hensley.
�� Accessed 13 Jan 2014. *Preston, Richard. ''Demon in the Freezer.'' New York, NY: Random House, 2002. *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hensley, Lisa American microbiologists Women microbiologists American virologists People from Winston-Salem, North Carolina American women biologists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women scientists