Alexander Lazar MD / PhD is a tenured professor in the Departments of Pathology, Genomic Medicine and Dermatology at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. His research laboratory interests encompass cancer genomics and epigenomics, the human microbiome, and novel cancer clinical trials involving immunotherapy and targeted therapies. He has extensive consulting and operational experience in biotechnology, bioinformatics, and pharmaceuticals as well as for DoD. As the COVID-19 pandemic was unfolding in March 2020, Dr. Lazar was appointed to the Governor of Texas' COVID Strike Force and took a 15-month sabbatical to work full time on the state and national COVID response. He served as the JCCIC Biosecurity Director for the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies in January 2021 in Washington, DC.