Stephen Joseph Galli (born 1947) is an American

pathologist Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...

who researches mast cells and basophils. He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, a recipient of the

National Institutes of Health MERIT Award The NIH MERIT award (Method To Extend Research in Time) Award (R37) was created by the National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary age ...

, and former co-editor of the '' Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease''.

Early life and education

Stephen Joseph Galli was born in 1947 in

Somerville, Massachusetts Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...

to parents Beatrice and Joseph M. Galli. Galli recalled wanting to be a scientist from a young age; he was initially interested in insects and reptiles and thought he would become a wildlife manager. After finishing his high school diploma at

Malden High School Malden High School is a public high school in Malden, Massachusetts. Established in 1857, the school is part of the Malden Public Schools and is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). A 2013 study conducted ...

, Galli attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, graduating in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in biology. He then attended Geisel School of Medicine at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

, followed by earning his

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

Harvard Medical School Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consi ...

in 1973.

Career

Galli completed his medical residency in anatomic pathology at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the third oldest general hospital in the United Stat ...

. In 1979 he joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School as an assistant professor of pathology. He was promoted to professor in 1993. In 1999 he joined the faculty of

Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine is the medical school of Stanford University and is located in Stanford, California. It traces its roots to the Medical Department of the University of the Pacific, founded in San Francisco in 1858. This ...

as chair of its pathology department and as a professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology. He completed his tenure as chair in 2016. From 2009 to 2016 he was additionally the co-director of the Stanford Center for

Genomics Genomics is an interdisciplinary field of biology focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA, including all of its genes as well as its hierarchical, three-dim ...

and Personalized Medicine. His lab researches the regulation of basophils and mast cells and the role that these cells play in diseases. He additionally researches alergies, including food allergies, and how they can be monitored and clinically managed. He was a co-editor of the '' Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease'' from 2007–2016 and remains on the editorial committee as of 2021.

Awards and honors

Galli has received various awards, including the

in 1995, the Scientific Achievement Award from the

World Allergy Organization The World Allergy Organization (WAO) is an international umbrella organization of 109 regional and national allergology and clinical immunology societies that cooperate across 27 committees. Since the first World Allergy Congress (WAC) held in Zur ...

in 2011, and Rous-Whipple Award from the American Society for Investigative Pathology in 2014. He was the recipient of the prestigious ASIP gold-headed cane award in 2024. In 2019 he received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from the University of Naples Federico II. He has been elected to scientific societies such as the National Academy of Medicine, Collegium Internationale Allergologicum, and

Accademia dei Lincei The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rom ...

Personal life

Galli enjoys writing

limericks A limerick ( ) is a form of verse, usually humorous and frequently rude, in five-line, predominantly trimeter with a strict rhyme scheme of AABBA, in which the first, second and fifth line rhyme, while the third and fourth lines are shorter and ...

about his research. While at Massachusetts General Hospital, he met fellow researcher Anne Stuart. He and Stuart married in 1974, had a son, and authored publications together.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Galli, Stephen J Living people 1947 births People from Somerville, Massachusetts People from Malden, Massachusetts Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Geisel School of Medicine alumni Harvard Medical School alumni Harvard Medical School faculty Stanford University School of Medicine faculty American pathologists American immunologists Members of the National Academy of Medicine Annual Reviews (publisher) editors ASIP gold-headed cane award