IAVI Mourns Passing of Dr. Reinhard Kurth, Former Scientific Advisory Committee Chair

Dr. Reinhard Kurth, a leading biomedical scientist who served as Chair of the IAVI Scientific Advisory Committee from June 2010 to June 2013 and a member of the IAVI Board of Directors, passed away on February 2, 2014. 

Dr. Kurth leaves a strong legacy of public service and commitment to public health in Germany and beyond, with HIV a particular focus of his research. He served as President of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute, the German institution responsible for approval of clinical trials and marketing authorization for certain medicinal products, from 1986 to 2001, and ran the Robert Koch Institute, one of the central institutions responsible for health protection in Germany, from 1996 to 2007. He became a member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences in 1998, received the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in recognition of his scientific contributions and public service in 2005, and became Chairman of the Foundation Council of the Ernst Schering Foundation and a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 2008.

“Reinhard Kurth dedicated his career to improving public health, mentoring future generations of scientists, and research into vaccines to prevent HIV and related retroviruses,” said Margie McGlynn, IAVI President and CEO. “IAVI and AIDS vaccine research have benefitted greatly from his scientific insight and skilled leadership. He will be sorely missed.”