Sanaria honors Ruth Nussenzweig

Ruth Nussenzweig passed away on April 1, 2018. She was a force, whose seminal findings stretching back to 1967 led to the establishment of the field of pre-erythrocytic stage malaria vaccine development and enormous progress in understanding pre-erythrocytic malaria parasite biology. Her scientific contributions, sharp intellect, and administrative prowess facilitated her becoming the first female department chair at New York University School of Medicine and the mentor of a large cadre of highly accomplished scientists now working all over the world. It was an honor and a joy for Sanaria to host a celebration of Ruth’s life and contributions on Monday, April 30, 2018.

Many of her proteges, colleagues and malaria friends paid tribute to her accomplishments, strength of character, formidable mind and energy. Steve Hoffman of Sanaria welcomed participants, and then Ruth’s husband, Victor, and lifelong scientific partner gave an emotional welcome and an overview of Ruth’s accomplishments. This was followed by a moving 10-minute clip from a filming done by Windy Films in early 2016 in which Ruth talked about her life in Vienna before WWII, her family’s flight to Belgium and then Brazil, and the years in medical school when she and Victor met and married.

Reflections of their personal interactions and work together were outlined by a series of speaker, including Steve Hoffman, Elizabeth Nardin, Bob Gwadz, Fidel Zavala, Mike Levine, Moriya Tsuji, Lee Hall, Photini Sinnis, Bob Seder, and Chris Ockenhouse. Ruth’s son Michel gave closing remarks and shared photos of Ruth and Victor. Her son André also attended.