Harvey James Alter (born 1935), American physician and virologist. Alter is best known for his work on viruses that cause hepatitis. His work contributed to the isolation and discovery of the Hepatitis C virus, a virus that is spread through blood contact, blood transfusions and sharing of infected needles. This discovery led to the introduction of blood screening programs to prevent transfusion-transmitted hepatitis. Harvey Alter was awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine alongside British virologist Michael Houghton and American virologist Charles M. Rice for their work on the hepatitis C virus. Photographed at NIH headquarters, Bethesda, Maryland, USA, on October 5th 2020.