Endowed Chairs & Professorships

Chauncey and Veda Ritter Chair in Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Understanding the Mechanisms of Immunologic Diseases

Thanks to the vision and generosity of Chauncey and Veda Ritter, National Jewish Health scientists can work toward the day when immunologic diseases, such as severe allergies and asthma will one day be conquered.

Rafeul Alam, MD, PhD, joined the faculty at National Jewish Health in October of 2002 as Professor and Director of the Adult Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in the Department of Medicine.  Dr. Alam also holds the Chauncey and Veda Ritter Chair in Immunology.

Dr. Alam comes to National Jewish Health from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where he held a variety of clinical, research and leadership positions over a 15-year period, including the last seven as Director of the Division of Allergy and Immunology.  Born in Bogra, Bangladesh, he received a Premedical degree from Dacca College in Bangladesh, and his Doctor of Medicine and PhD, both magna cum laude, from Lodz Medical Academy in Poland.  After fellowships in Poland, London and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in West Virginia, Dr. Alam settled in Texas.

Dr. Alam divides his time between clinical and research activities.  His research interests include signal transduction pathways in asthma and inflammation, mechanism of activation of inflammatory cells such as eosinophils and lymphocytes, and the pathogenesis of immunodeficiency disorders.

Rafeul Alam, MD, PhD.