He is also chief of infectious diseases at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. Relman received an M.D. in 1982 from Harvard Medical School. He has made significant contributions in the areas of microbial pathogen discovery and host-microbe interactions, including the identification of microbial causes for several important human diseases. He is using his Pioneer Award to characterize the microbial communities indigenous to humans and understand the roles of these communities in health and disease. Relman is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, a member of the Forum on Microbial Threats of the Institute of Medicine, and a member of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity Rosalind A. Segal, M.D., Ph.D.