Dr. Joseph A. Bellanti, a native of New York,received his M.D. degree from the University of Buffalo in 1958.

Then he completed an internship and residency at the Children's Hospital Buffalo in 1961. He was trained in immunology at the University of Florida School of Medicine , Gainesville in 1961-62 and continued his studies as a research virologist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Washington, DC in 1962-64. In 1963, he joined the faculty of Georgetown University School of Medicine as assistant professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology, where he rose to the position of Professor of Pediatrics and Microbiology - 1970. In 1975 he became a Director of the International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology at Georgetown University and since 1980 Director of the Division of Allergy-Immunology, Department of Pediatrics and the Division of Virology and Immunology,Department of Laboratory Medicine Georgetown University Hospital.

Soon after arriving at Georgetown, he realized that his goal of generating new knowledge in immunology and translating it to clinical use would require adopting a multidisciplinary approach to immunology that would involve basic and clinical investigators, allied health professionals, statisticians, and health educators. Accordingly, he worked to establish the International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology. Its location in the nation's capital has enhanced its international perspective; students, physicians, and scientists from all over the would are invited to study there.

Dr Bellanti has focused considerable effort on research in developmental immunology. Along with other investigators, he has studied phagocytic cell function in the newborn human and in a neonatal rat model, as well as the function of alveolar macrophages in the developing rabbit. He and his colleagues were also the first to describe the antiviral activity of the secretary Ig A system in nasal secretions; they was studying the role of a-interferon as a pathogenic mechanism in AIDS. He has developed a typhoid fever vaccine that uses temperature sensitive strains of Salmonella typhi.

In addition to teaching medical students and residents, he has directed a postgraduate training program in developmental immunology since 1968 and a clinical residency program in allergy and immunology since 1978. He served on the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, a conjoint board of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Pediatrics from 1975 to 1980, and was its president from 1979 to 1980.

Frequently, he lectures abroad in Europe and South America, sometimes in fluent Spanish or Italian. In 1972, he was named one of the "Outstanding Educators of America" by the William Peck Society, an educators' group.

Part of his time is devoted to direct patient care of children and adults exhibiting the full spectrum of allergic and immunologic disorders.

Dr. Bellanti has published more than 400 scientific articles and abstracts, as well as numerous textbook chapters. He is editor of the well-known textbook "Immunology", published by W.B. Saunders Co. He was editor in chief of "Pediatric Research" from 1974 to 1984 and editor of "Annals of Allergy" from 1982 to 1989.

For his achievements in allergy and immunology, Dr. Bellanti has received numerous awards, including two from the American College of Allergy and Immunology; the Humanitarian Award for "excellence and service and teaching of clinical immunology in 1974, and the Distinguished Fellow Award in 1981.

Dr. Bellanti was President of the Society for Pediatric Research (1980), President of INTERASTMA (1987-90), President of the American College of Allergy and Immunology (1991-92), President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists (1974-84); Editor of "Annals of Allergy: (1980-89). He is recipients of many national and international honors, most recently receiving the Honoris causa from the University of Palermo, Italy (1992).

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