Diane E Griffin (1940-2024)
The International Society for Antiviral Research mourns the passing of Diane Griffin, PhD, MD, a celebrated virologist, outstanding colleague and cherished mentor, who passed away on November 5, 2024. Dr. Griffin was Chair Emeritus of the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Griffin’s work explored critical mechanisms of viral pathogenesis, including how viruses impact the nervous and immune systems, as well as long-term effects of infection on human health. Her research on alphaviruses, acute encephalitis, and measles has paved the way for advancements in understanding viral immunosuppression, vaccine and antiviral development, impacting global health.
Dr. Griffin was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science as well as the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She authored over 300 scholarly papers and served as an editor for the Journal of Virology from 1994 to 2004, and as a founding member of the Global Virus Network (GVN). Dr. Griffin was President of the American Society for Virology and American Society for Microbiology, and Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Griffin contributed to ISAR through her research and was featured as the keynote speaker at the 32ndInternational Conference on Antiviral Research (ICAR) meeting in Baltimore, 2019. She was remembered by the ISAR officers, as: “a shining light in virology, a truly visionary physician scientist whose research and mentoring has had a great impact on global public health.” (photo of Dr Griffin, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)
Nov 6, 2024