Rothman, Paul B.

Rothman, a dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, was born in New York. He earned a B.S. in biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980 and an M.D. from the Yale School of Medicine in 1984. Following graduation, Rothman was a medical intern in 1984, an assistant medical resident in 1985 and a clinical rheumatology fellow in 1986 at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. From 1987 to 1990, he served as a postdoctoral biochemistry fellow at Columbia University.

While at Columbia University, Rothman was appointed assistant professor of clinical medicine in 1989; assistant professor of medicine and microbiology in 1991; and the Richard J. Stock Associate Professor of Medicine and Microbiology in 1998. He was named chief of the division of pulmonary, allergy and critical care medicine in 1997; the Richard J. Stock Professor of Medicine and Microbiology in 2001; and vice chairman for research, department of medicine in 2003.

In 2004, Rothman assumed the positions of professor and head of the department of internal medicine and Francois M. Abboud Chair in Internal Medicine at the Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. Also that year, he was named professor of internal medicine and microbiology and professor of physiology and biophysics. In 2008, he was appointed dean of the college, now named the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine.

In 2012, Rothman was appointed CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine and the Frances Watt Baker, M.D., and Lenox D. Baker Jr., M.D., Dean of the Medical Faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as well as professor of medicine and of molecular biology and genetics. He held these positions until his retirement in 2022.

During his tenure as dean at Johns Hopkins, Rothman oversaw the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also initiated development and implementation of Johns Hopkins Medicine’s first enterprise-wide strategic plan; oversaw the rollout of an electronic medical records system; and oversaw the opening of two new clinical facilities: the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cardiovascular and Critical Care Tower, and the Charlotte R. Bloomberg Children’s Center at Johns Hopkins.

Rothman’s medical research focused on immune system molecules known as cytokines. Specifically, he investigated the role these molecules play in the normal development of blood cells as well as the abnormal development of cells that leads to leukemia. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Rothman has also served as president of the Association of American Physicians and the Society of Medical Administrators, and he was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has written more than 150 articles and book chapters and has mentored numerous students and physicians. Honors he has received include a James S. McDonnell Foundation Career Development Award in Molecular Medicine and Oncology, a Pfizer Scholars Award, a Pew Biomedical Scholars Award, a Leukemia Society of America Scholars Award, and the Pharmacia Allergy Research Foundation International Award.