Dr. Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis holds the Robert C. Hickey Chair in Clinical Care and serves as Deputy Head for Research in the Division of Internal Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. A distinguished alumnus of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, he graduated as valedictorian. He completed his Internal Medicine training at Baylor College of Medicine and specialized in Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, earning a master's degree from Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kontoyiannis is a global authority in mycology, with over 650 peer-reviewed publications and an H index of 130.

His accolades include the American Society for Microbiology Award, the Drouhet Medal, and honorary PhDs from leading Greek universities. He is a fellow of numerous esteemed societies and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Recently, he received the IDSA Citation Award and the Harriet P. Dustan Award for 2023-2024. Dr. Kontoyiannis leads the ECMM Diamond Excellence in Mycology Center at MD Anderson and is the president-elect of The Mycoses Study Group Education Consortium.