Clare Schmitt is the acting deputy director of NCATS, where — in the Office of the Director— she is responsible for planning, executing and assessing the Center’s complex and multifaceted preclinical and clinical research programs and serves as a key national spokesperson for translational science. She guides the activities of the NCATS Advisory Council and the Cures Acceleration Network Review Board. Previously, Schmitt was the deputy director of NCATS’ Division of Clinical Innovation (DCI), where she assisted the DCI director in overseeing the Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program.

Before joining NCATS, Schmitt served as the deputy director of the Office of Biodefense, Research Resources and Translational Research within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), where she oversaw a diverse portfolio focused on infectious disease translational science, preclinical research resources and medical countermeasure development. She also provided direction to a large clinical trial component of the program.

Schmitt joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2000, managing a Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer review program at the Center for Scientific Review. In 2002, she moved to NIAID as a program officer, overseeing a portfolio of grants and contracts related to bacterial pathogens and toxins.

Schmitt received her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in microbiology from The University of Texas at Austin. Before joining NIH, Schmitt was a postdoctoral fellow at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, with a subsequent assistant professorship at the same institution.