Donald Forthal

Donald N. Forthal, MD, serves as Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. He holds an additional professorship in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and is faculty in the Center for Immunology and the Center for Virus Research. Forthal earned his MD from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine in 1979. He completed a medical internship and residency in pediatrics at UCLA-Harbor General Hospital from 1979 to 1982, followed by a fellowship in infectious diseases at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center from 1982 to 1984. Board-certified in pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics, his clinical expertise centers on infectious diseases.

Forthal's research specializes in immunology and infectious diseases, with a focus on the mechanisms of antiviral antibodies, Fc receptor interactions, and antibody-dependent enhancement in viral infections including HIV, dengue virus, and SARS-CoV-2. He has served as principal investigator on numerous National Institutes of Health grants, such as R01AI118581 on the role of antibody and the Fc neonatal receptor in transmitted/founder strain selection (2015-2021), R01AI102715 on the impact of antibody and pH on female-to-male SIV infection (2012-2017), R01AI090656 on broadly reactive antibodies against chimeric virus-host antigens (2010-2014), and R01AI052039 on novel biological activities of anti-viral antibody (2002-2007). His publications include 'Outpatient COVID-19 convalescent plasma recipient antibody thresholds correlated to reduced hospitalizations within a randomized trial' (JCI Insight, 2024), 'Aerosol delivery of SARS-CoV-2 human monoclonal antibodies in macaques limits viral replication and lung pathology' (Nature Communications, 2023), 'Early antibody treatment, inflammation, and risk of post-COVID conditions' (mBio, 2023), 'COVID-19 convalescent plasma therapy decreases inflammatory cytokines: a randomized controlled trial' (Microbiology Spectrum, 2024), and 'Impact of Human Leukocyte Antigen Allele-Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Partners on Sexually Transmitted Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection' (Journal of Infectious Diseases, 2024). Forthal contributes to advancing understanding of protective immunity and vaccine strategies through his leadership in infectious diseases research at UC Irvine.

Professional Email: dnfortha@uci.edu