Infectious Diseases Expert To Head National AIDS Unit

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has named George W. Counts as head of the newly established Clinical Research Management Branch in the Treatment Research Program of NIAID’s Division of AIDS. Prior to the appointment, Counts, 54, had been a professor of medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, since 1975. He also served as director of the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seat- tle from 1985 to 1989. Counts’ research has focused on hospital-associated infections; infections in immunocompromised patients; and the role of antimicrobial agents in the prevention and treatment of bacterial, fungal, and protozoan infections. As chief of the Clinical Research Management Branch, Counts will work to make the AIDS clinical trials units more effective. He will also lead the initiative to enroll patients from more diverse populations into clinical trials. Target populations include African-Americans, Hispanics, women, and intravenous drug users. Born in Idabel, OkIa., Counts received his B.S. in 1957 and his M.S. in microbiology in 1960 from the University of Oklahoma, Norman. He received his M.D. from the University of Iowa, Iowa City, in 1965. Counts completed his postgraduate training at the Ohio State University Hospital, Columbus, and the University of Washington, Seattle. Counts, who is a member of the editorial board of the American Journal of Infection Control, is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is also a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and a member of the Society of Hospital Epidemiologists of America. Patricia Lesley Bidstrup, a specialist in occupational medicine in London, recently received the American Industrial Hygiene Association's (AIHA) William P. Yant Award. Bidstrup, who is the first woman to receive the award, was recognized for her work in the study of health issues related to cancers of industrial origin. She was instrumental in conducting original studies on specific chromium chemicals that cause lung cancer. The award, sponsored by the Mine Safety Appliance (MSA) Co. in Pittsburgh, was established in 1964 in memory of William P. Yant, the first AIHA president and director of MSA from 1936 to 1963. The award is presented to non-United States residents. Nicholas G. Bazan has been named director of the new Neuroscience Center at the Louisiana State University Medical Center, New Orleans. Bazan, a professor of ophthalmology, biochemistry and molecular biology, and neurology, is known for his research on cell signal transduction, second messengers, neurochemistry of essential fatty acids, and neurobiology of diseases (retinal degenerations, stroke, and epilepsy). In addition to his research, Bazan serves on the editorial boards of eight journals and is chairman of the Task Force on “Research as an Economic Force for the Future” of the Louisiana State University Medical School. Roche Diagnostic Systems in Nutley, N.J., has named Jonathon Lawrie to manage the development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, used to detect various genetic and infectious diseases, and viruses such as HIV. Lawrie received his M.S. degree in microbiology and his Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Washington, Seattle. Before joining Roche Diagnostic Systems, a subsidiary of Hoffman-La Roche Inc., Lawrie worked at Gene-Trak Sys- tems in Framingham, Mass., Amoco Research Center in Naperville, Ill., and Codon Inc. in San Francisco. Paula Keith, new products opportunities coordinator and manager of microbiology at Pitman-Moore Inc., Mundelein, Ill., has been elected president of the Society for Industrial Microbiology (SIM) for the 1989-90 term. She has served on SIM’s board of directors and has organized national meetings and symposia for the society. Keith joined Pitman-Moore in 1979, shortly after receiving her Ph.D. in microbial physiology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1978. Her work at Pitman-Moore has centered on fermentation microbiology. Keith is also a member of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). At ASM’s annual technical meeting last May, she presented the key fermentation and biotechnology divisional lecture. Ninfa Indacochea-Redmond has been appointed manager of toxicology and metabolism at the Midwest Research Institute (MRI) in Kansas City. Her research at MRI will involve the investigation of drugs and industrial chemicals. Prior to her appointment at MRI, Indacochea-Redmond served as director of toxicolgy and pathology at the Life Science Research-Roma Toxicology Center in Rome. David S. Alberts, professor of med- icine and pharmacology at the University of Arizona, Tucson, has been appointed director of the cancer prevention and control program at the Arizona Cancer Center. Alberts, who has been involved in cancer prevention research at the center since 1978, has investigated the pharmacology of chemopreventive agents and the prevention of skin, oral, cervical, and colon cancer with chemopreventive and nutritional approaches. In addition to continuing this research, Alberts plans to implement research and educational programs for women at high risk of developing cervical and breast cancers. Alberts succeeds Frank L. Meyskens, Jr., who left the Arizona Cancer Center to become the founding director of the University of California, Irvine, Cancer Center. Giuseppe Attardi of the California Institute of Technology has been selected to receive in November the 1989 Antonio Feltrinelli Prize for Medicine. Attardi, who has been a faculty member at Caltech since 1963, is Grace C. Steele Professor of Molecular Biology. He is best known for his research in the mitochondrial genetic system in human cells. Attardi will receive his award of $70,000 during ceremonies in Italy. The prize, established in 1950 in memory of Antonio Feltrinelli, an Italian businessman, is given by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei in Rome, founded in 1603. Every .five years, the prize is awarded in medicine. In other years, it is awarded to other fields of science, art, literature. and the social sciences. Robert C. Young, president of Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, recently began his one-year term as president of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Young, who came to Fox Chase in 1988 from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is known for his work in the treatment of lymphoma and ovarian cancer. At NCI, Young served as chief of the medicine branch, then as associate director of the centers and community oncology program. He is the author of more than 300 publications and serves on the editorial boards of several journals. Philip Gerbino, executive director of the Geriatric Pharmacy Institute at Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, has been appointed associate vice president for professional programs at the college. Gerbino, a professor of clinical pharmacy, will be responsible for the school’s continuing-education programs and will also assist in the operations of the office of the vice president. Gerbino, who was instrumental in founding the Geriatric Pharmacy Institute, is chairman-elect (1989) and chairman (1990) of the board of trustees of the American Pharmaceutical Association. In addition, he serves on the editorial boards of several pharmacy and geriatric journals. David S. Simonett, professor of geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has been awarded the Victoria Medal by the Royal Geographical Society in London for his contributions to remote sensing. Simonett, who has applied remote sensing techniques to forest and rangeland areas, has conducted studies in Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. The Victoria Medal, established in 1901 in honor of Queen Victoria, is awarded, on occasion, to a scientist who has contributed greatly to research in geography.

Infectious Diseases Expert To Head National AIDS Unit

The Scientist Staff

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