IAVI Mourns the Passing of Dr. Adel A. F. Mahmoud, Vaccine Champion and Public Health Visionary

Adel A. F. Mahmoud, MD, PhD, served on the IAVI Board of Directors from 2012.

NEW YORK – JUNE 11, 2018 – IAVI is deeply saddened by the recent death of Adel A. F. Mahmoud, MD, PhD, a highly respected physician, scientist, professor, IAVI board member, and cherished friend. Most recently, he had a joint appointment at Princeton University as Professor in the Woodrow Wilson School and the Department of Molecular Biology. He has served as a valued and dedicated member of the IAVI Board of Directors from 2012.

“Adel was a unique force of nature and a tireless champion of science, education, and public health,” said Dr. Mark Feinberg, MD, PhD, IAVI President and CEO. “He is remembered by all whose lives he touched as a warm, vibrant, generous, and compassionate physician scientist who sought to eradicate childhood illnesses and infectious diseases through the development of new vaccines. Adel was also an important advocate for a global focus on vaccine development and equitable access, including the importance of advancing HIV R&D. His work has contributed to saving countless lives around the world. For those of us who were fortunate to have Adel as a friend, we know how much joy and positive energy he shared with us and how much we will miss his very special presence.”

Previously as President of Merck Vaccines, Dr. Mahmoud led efforts to develop new vaccines to prevent cervical cancer, rotavirus, and shingles, and a combination vaccine to prevent measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, while also championing Merck’s HIV vaccine and antiretroviral treatment research and development programs. His prior remarkable academic career at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland spanned 25 years concluding as Chairman of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief from 1987 to 1998. In Cleveland and beyond, his commitment to education and mentorship were renowned and generations of physician scientists consider Dr. Mahmoud as the person who played a key role in supporting and guiding their careers in medicine and science. Dr. Mahmoud’s leadership in setting strategies for Global Health shaped the agenda of the Forum on Microbial Threats of the National Academy of Medicine, and in recent years, by tackling topical issues such as emerging infectious diseases and bioterrorism.

Dr. Mahmoud was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and was elected to membership of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the National Academy of Medicine. He served on the U.S. National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council and as president of the Central Society for Clinical Research and of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.

Dr. Mahmoud is survived by his wife, Dr. Sally Hodder. The IAVI family sends our condolences and best wishes to her and to all those whose lives Dr. Mahmoud touched during his remarkable life.