The National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) selected Rebecca Alvania, PhD, MA, MPH, as its executive director and chief executive officer. The non-profit organization educates and engages the public, communities, and healthcare professionals about infectious diseases across the lifespan. Alvania will succeed Maria Dalton, PE, CAE upon her retirement. Alvania’s appointment is effective September 1, 2025.
Alvania brings extensive experience in scientific leadership, strategic planning, and global public health. She previously served as CEO of the American Society for Cell Biology, where she spearheaded a comprehensive strategic planning process, modernized the organization’s mission and programs, and led a successful financial turnaround while expanding global engagement.
As NFID chief staff officer, Alvania will provide leadership and direction to advance the NFID mission to educate and engage the public, communities, and healthcare professionals about infectious diseases across the lifespan. She will serve as a key NFID spokesperson and an ex-officio member of the NFID Board of Directors and all Board-level committees.
She began her career in media communications at the National Academy of Sciences and held leadership roles working with scientific journals, including the American Society for Microbiology. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Alvania helped launch one of the first expedited, open-access publishing workflows for COVID-related research, accelerating the global dissemination of critical scientific findings.
About National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
Founded in 1973, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to educating and engaging the public, communities, and healthcare professionals about infectious diseases across the lifespan. NFID has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and has earned a Platinum transparency seal from Candid. For more information, visit www.nfid.org.