Charles Evans, Jr.

Charles Evans, Jr., M.D., Ph.D, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Human Science at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing & Health Studies. He earned M.D. and PhD degrees from the University of Virginia, and a B.S. in biology from Union College.

At Georgetown, Dr. Evans teaches undergraduate courses in communicating science, in health promotion and disease prevention, and in physiological adaptation to space flight and other extreme environments. Additionally, he serves as the Director of the “Pathways to Success” program, whose Summer Biomedical Science Institute brings talented high school students to Georgetown from rural American communities for a three-week, college-level science immersion program with the goal of building student confidence and directing students toward college and, in particular, careers in the biomedical sciences and healthcare fields.

Prior to joining the Georgetown faculty in 2002, Dr. Evans served as senior advisor for Biomedical and Clinical Research at the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine (1998-2002), and as a physician scientist at the National Institutes of Health (1975-1998).

Dr. Evans’ research interests are carcinogenesis (the etiology of cancer); the normal immune system defenses to the development of cancer and the emerging epidemic of mutations in the AIDS virus resulting in resistance to anti-viral treatment. While at NIH he discovered the ability of cytokines to directly prevent carcinogenesis, and was the first to isolate a direct acting anti-carcinogenic cytokine, for which he was awarded four U.S. Patents.

Dr. Evans has authored more than 125 scientific articles and received numerous scientific awards, including the Outstanding Service Medal and the Commendation Medal of the U.S. Public Health Service and the Wellcome Medal and Prize. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a Fellow in Health Systems Administration of the American Academy of Medical Administrators.