Deaths still rippling through AIDS research community

Jul 22 2014

The crash of the Malaysian jetliner killed important scientists.

The New York Times: Leading AIDS Researcher, 'Always Traveling,' Is Killed on His Way to a Conference
As the airport lounge filled with passengers waiting to board Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a renowned professor rushed to the gate while texting a colleague, saying that he was "superbusy." Veering into the business-class line, Joep Lange, an AIDS researcher, passed a former election observer who had just returned from Ukraine. They were among 298 passengers and crew aboard the flight, which was shot down over Ukraine on Thursday. ... Dr. Lange, a former president of the AIDS society, began researching the epidemic in 1983 and had worked at the World Health Organization, heading clinical research and drug development in the mid-1990s (Erdbrink and McNeil Jr., 7/18).

USA Today: AIDS Conference Attendees Remember 6 Who Died On MH17
Organizers and attendees at the world's largest AIDS conference said six colleagues who died in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 would want them to continue the fight against this deadly disease. The six delegates, who died Thursday, were to attend the 20th International AIDS Conference here. ... "This is not a time for silence," said Michael Kirby, former judge of the High Court of Australia. "They would expect us to pick up our shattered spirits. They would demand that we renew and redouble our efforts" (Clark, 7/20).