People in the news - September 2014

Fogarty grantee Susser leaves legacy in HIV/AIDS

Dr. Mervyn Susser, renowned in the HIV/AIDS research field, has died. A physician, epidemiologist, professor and AIDS researcher, Susser's career spanned South Africa, the U.K. and U.S. He helped South Africa win its first Fogarty HIV/AIDS grant in 1993 - a collaboration that continues to this day. In later years, he founded and led Columbia University's Sergievsky Center.

Dr. Mervyn Susser

Dr. Stephen Katz

NIH's Katz wins Austrian organization's top award

The Austrian Society of Dermatology and Venereology has awarded its top honor to Dr. Stephen Katz, director of NIH's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Katz received the society's Gold Medal for his scientific contributions to the field and his guidance to the younger generation.

Lasker Foundation honors NIH grantees

Dr. Mary-Claire King, of the University of Washington, was selected for the 2014 Lasker-Koshland Award for Special Achievement in Medical Science. King, who has been supported by Fogarty as well as other NIH agencies, was named for her bold, imaginative and diverse contributions to medical science and human rights.

Dr. Mahlon DeLong, of Emory University, was one of two scientists to receive a Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for pioneering deep brain stimulation to treat late-stage Parkinson's disease symptoms. For more than 40 years, DeLong has researched the basal ganglia structures and how they influence movement and movement disorders.

Dr. Mary-Claire King

Dr. Mahlon DeLong

Dr. Bryan T. Grenfell

Fogarty collaborator Grenfell joins Wellcome board

Fogarty Senior Fellow, Dr. Bryan T. Grenfell, has joined the Wellcome Trust's board of governors. A professor at Princeton University, Grenfell has more than 30 years of experience researching the population dynamics of infectious diseases. He has been a longtime partner in Fogarty's Research and Policy for Infectious Disease Dynamics (RAPIDD) program, aimed at improving the state of the art of mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, making it more reliable and relevant to policymakers planning responses to outbreaks.

WHO hails Fogarty grantee Hu for tobacco control

The WHO has recognized Fogarty grantee Dr. Teh-wei Hu for his contributions to tobacco control, honoring him with its 2014 World No Tobacco Day Award for the Western Pacific Region. Hu, a professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, is an expert in tobacco tax policy research. He has played a major role in reforming the health systems of China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, with a particular focus on reducing smoking in China.

Dr. Teh-wei Hu

Dr. Isabel C. Scarincia

Fogarty tobacco grantee is chosen for cancer post

Fogarty tobacco program grantee Dr. Isabel C. Scarinci has been promoted to a new position, associate director for globalization and cancer, at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Comprehensive Cancer Center. She was also recently appointed honorary consul for Brazil, helping with the country's outreach to Brazilian citizens in Alabama.