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As a medical student, , read a New England Journal of Medicine paper that changed the course of his career.

The study described the use of the body's own immune cells to treat metastatic melanoma. For Dr. Kottilil, it was a revelation.

"I wanted to do something similar, to develop therapies that could cure diseases once thought incurable," he recalled.

That moment would shape a career devoted to translating science into treatments for patients with chronic viral diseases, liver disease and virus-associated cancers, including work at the National Institutes of Health and the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

He now brings that experience to USF Health, where he will serve as vice dean for Clinical Research, director of the newly established Center for the Study of Liver Disease, clinical director of the and professor of medicine.

Dr. Kottilil joins USF Health as the institution embarks on ambitious plans to expand its clinical research enterprise and become a global destination for clinical and translational research.

"Dr. Shyam Kottilil is an internationally respected physician-scientist whose career exemplifies the very best of academic medicine, scientific excellence, clinical innovation and collaborative leadership," said , executive vice president of USF Health and dean of the . "His vision, experience, scientific accomplishments and proven ability to build high-performing research programs will help accelerate our momentum and advance our mission of improving health through discovery."

Over the course of his career, Dr. Kottilil has helped transform the treatment of chronic viral diseases. His work contributed to advances in hepatitis C therapy, including studies showing that patients could be cured in as little as six weeks using oral antiviral medications and that treatment could be successfully delivered by primary care physicians and nurses, expanding access beyond specialty clinics.

Ask Dr. Kottilil about his career, and the conversation quickly turns to the people who shaped it. He credits mentors including Anthony Fauci, Harvey Alter, Henry Masur, Michael Polis at NIH and later at the University of Maryland,

"I've had the opportunity to work with several giants in virology and infectious diseases," Dr. Kottilil said. "Each influenced me in different ways.  I've learned just as much from my mentees as I have from my mentors."

One patient interaction stands out. During an early hepatitis C clinical trial, a woman facing substance use and mental health challenges was preparing to enroll in a promising study. A treatment-related complication delayed her participation, and she died before she could begin therapy.

"It taught me how vulnerable our patient population is," Dr. Kottilil said. "It reinforced for me the urgency of treating populations in need."

The experience strengthened his belief that scientific discoveries matter only if they reach the people who need them most. That philosophy is one of the reasons he was drawn to USF Health.

"My career has combined basic science, translational research in chronic viral infections and administrative leadership. The opportunity at USF brings all three together," he said. "The leadership at USF Health and Tampa General Hospital convinced me of their commitment to building a world-class clinical research program."

In his new role, Dr. Kottilil will help oversee the expansion and transformation of USF Health's clinical research enterprise, strengthening collaborations to accelerate clinical trial growth, enhance industry engagement, expand translational science initiatives and position USF Health for future national funding opportunities.

"Clinical research has become increasingly complex," he said. "Our ability to translate discoveries into better care remains one of our greatest challenges. I see translational research becoming even more important in the years ahead, and I believe institutions like USF Health have an opportunity to lead that effort."

Dr. Kottilil will also continue advancing his own research program at the USF Health Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation and the TGH Cancer Institute, focusing on HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, liver disease, virus-associated cancers and emerging infectious diseases.

Among his early priorities is applying artificial intelligence to improve liver disease surveillance by identifying patients at risk for hospitalization and detecting liver cancer earlier. He also sees opportunities to build on Tampa General Hospital's AI-enabled clinical care infrastructure to advance monitoring and predictive care for patients with liver disease and cancer, and infectious disease surveillance of multidrug-resistant microorganisms.

His arrival builds on a longstanding professional relationship with Dr. Gallo, founding director of the USF Health Institute for Translational Virology and Innovation. Dr. Gallo also co-discovered HIV as the cause of AIDS and led the development of the HIV blood test. The two previously worked together at the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine before both joined USF Health.

"I've known Shyam for many years, first as a colleague at the Institute of Human Virology and now as we begin this next chapter together at USF," said Robert C. Gallo, MD, who is also James P. Cullison Professor of Medicine at USF Health and chair of the Scientific Leadership Committee of the Global Virus Network. "He is an outstanding physician-scientist with exceptional clinical judgment, scientific insight and integrity. He is also a gifted mentor and collaborator who never loses sight of the patient. I am delighted to welcome him to ITVI and look forward to building the future together."

Asked what he hopes colleagues will say about his impact at USF five years from now, Dr. Kottilil smiles before answering.

"Transformational leadership with outside-the-box thinking and full transparency."