Diane Edmund Griffin, renowned infectious disease virologist, dies at age 84

Diane Griffin, a pioneering infectious disease virologist, scientific leader and professor at Johns Hopkins University, died on Monday. She was 84.

At the time of her death, Griffin was chairman emeritus of the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and vice president of the National Academy of Sciences.

Image credit:Courtesy of Bloomberg School of Public Health

A world-renowned expert on alphaviruses, acute encephalitis, measles, HIV and malaria, Griffin was one of the most prominent scientific leaders of her generation. Her contributions to the field include demonstrating that infection with the measles virus causes death, primarily by increasing susceptibility to other infections. She also showed that the measles virus leaves behind RNA particles for months after apparent recovery – which may contribute to lifelong protective immunity against measles. Her work has been cited more than 24,700 times.

“Diane was an incomparable teacher, mentor, scholar, leader and human being whose kindness and civility elevated the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School and the university communities,” said Ellen J. MacKenzie, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. “She was an exceptionally bright light in the world of public health, and she will be missed by colleagues and friends around the world.”

Griffin joined Johns Hopkins in 1970 as a virology fellow in the School of Medicine, where she eventually became a professor in 1985. In 1994, the Bloomberg School appointed Griffin chairman of what was then the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases. She renamed the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology to reflect the growing importance of molecular biology across the spectrum of basic science. From 1994 to 2014 she was department chair. In 2010, she was appointed University Distinguished Service Professor. In 2009, she was inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame.

“During her decades at Johns Hopkins, Diane brought extraordinary intellect and visionary leadership to everything she did,” said JHU President Ron Daniels. “She was a true physician-scientist and a great university citizen who worked tirelessly in service of the academic and scientific enterprise, advocating research that served the public good and improved public health, especially through the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute – a Diane, a boundlessly compelling teacher, trusted mentor, and wise counselor to legions of students, colleagues, and presidents, will be deeply missed for the groundbreaking discoveries she made and the countless ways she impacted so many lives. “

During her tenure as department chair, Griffin served as founding director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute from 2001 to 2007. The institute was founded at Griffin’s request with a gift from Michael Bloomberg.

“Diane was the consummate physician-scientist,” said Arturo Casadevall, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Infectious Diseases. “Aside from her brilliant contributions to virology and immunology, she was unusual in how hard she worked for the scientific enterprise. She leaves a tremendous legacy for humanity in the knowledge that she contributed to the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, including her trainees who continue its standards of excellence.”

Diane Edmund was born on May 5, 1940 in Iowa City, Iowa, and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She received her BA in biology in 1962 from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Griffin simultaneously obtained an MD and PhD in microbiology from Stanford University, where she met her husband John (Jack) Griffin. They married in 1965.

After earning an MD in 1968, she completed her residency in internal medicine at Stanford University Hospital while completing her doctorate. She joined John Hopkins Medicine in 1970 with her husband.

Griffin was an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. She regularly participated in the study sections of the National Institutes of Health, chaired the Special AIDS Study Section, and served as co-chair of the Board of Scientific Advisors of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). She has the Journal of Virology from 1994 to 2004.

“Diane was one of the kindest, smartest and most energetic individuals I have ever known,” said Al Sommer, a University Distinguished Service Professor who served as dean of the Bloomberg School from 1990 to 2005. “She had a profound influence on the school. and her department, who convinced Mike Bloomberg to fund a malaria research institute at our school and guide its early development. She was a recognized ‘world star’, advising the WHO on dealing with newly emerging infectious diseases and serving the National Academy of Sciences throughout. time vice president.”

Her many national leadership positions include president of the American Society for Virology and president of the American Society for Microbiology. Since 2013, she has served as vice president of the National Academy of Sciences. She was an international ambassador for science, chaired the US-Japan Viral Diseases Panel and advised the Israeli Vaccine Research Initiative and the WHO Ebola Vaccine Trial.

As a sought-after member of the search committee, she guided the Institute of Medicine, the NIAID Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, and the NIAID Division of Intramural Research in selecting their heads. She also helped the university select its current president, Ron Daniels; former deans of the schools of medicine and public health; and numerous department chairs. In addition to her numerous awards and recognitions, she was elected a member of both the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024. She received the 2016 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases for outstanding scientific contributions to the understanding of infectious diseases and public health.

Griffin is survived by two sons, sons, Todd and Eric, their spouses, four grandchildren and two sisters. She was predeceased by her husband, John W. Griffin, a neurologist at Johns Hopkins, who died in 2011.