Whitacre, Caroline

Vice President for Research at The Ohio State University
Professor of Microbial Infection & Immunity

Caroline C. Whitacre, Ph.D. serves as the Vice President for Research at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She is a Professor of Microbial Infection & Immunity. She served as Associate Vice President for Health Sciences Research and Vice Dean for Research in the College of Medicine from 2001-2008. Dr. Whitacre received her BA and PhD degrees at Ohio State University and did postdoctoral training at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago.

She returned to Ohio State in 1981 where she has been on the faculty since that time. She served for 12 years as the Chair of the department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics in the College of Medicine. Dr. Whitacre’s research is in the area of the immunology of multiple sclerosis. In recognition of her University activities, she was awarded the OSU Faculty Award for Distinguished University Service in 2001 and the Association for the Advancement of Science.

In her current role as VP for Research, Dr. Whitacre is responsible for the overall strategic planning of infrastructure support for the universities $983 million annual research program. She serves on the Boards of TechColumbus, Center of Science and Industry (COSI), The Transportation Research Center, The Wellington School, BioOhio, the National Boards for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Oak Ridge Associated Universities. She chairs the Board of SciTech, the Ohio State University Research Park. She is immediate past chair of the Council on Research Policy and Graduate Education for the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU).