STEPHEN A. UDEM

UDEM--Stephen A, MD, PhD. Physician, scientist and medical educator, died of lymphoma on January 11, 2014, at his Manhattan home. He was 69. He is survived by his adoring wife of 35 years, psychologist Sharon G. Nathan. Stephen was a highly regarded physician-scientist, internationally recognized by academia and industry for his contributions to virology and vaccinology. Throughout his career he held joint appointments in medical and basic science departments of medical schools, where he was appreciated for his clinical skills, his creativity as a scientist, and his excellence as a teacher. His research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and the American Cancer Society, among others. Later in his career he focused his efforts on inventing vaccines in the pharmacology industry, in a non-profit organization, and as a consultant to start-up biotech companies. A winner of many honors and awards, Stephen was also an author of over 80 scientific papers and holder of several patents. A more comprehensive list of his accomplishments can be found at StephenUdem.com. As a person he was warm, witty, incisive, empathic, care-taking, generous, brave and fiercely determined, but what was most characteristic was that he was always fully present with everyone he came into contact with. A lifelong New Yorker, Stephen was born at Gotham Hospital in Manhattan on April 4, 1944. He attended New York City schools including the Bronx High School of Science (class of 1960), City College (BS, 1964), and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (PhD, 1971; MD, 1972). In his 25 years at Einstein, he went from student to full professor. As a participant in the Medical Scientist Training Program, he earned a PhD in Genetics and Cell Biology and an MD. After completing his Residency in Medicine and Fellowship in Infectious Diseases in 1976, he joined the Einstein faculty in the departments of Medicine; Cell Biology; and Microbiology and Immunology. His research focused on the mechanism by which viruses cause persistent infection in the central nervous system. From 1989 to 1994, Stephen was Professor in the Departments of Medicine; Neuroscience; and Microbiology and Medical Genetics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). In his role as Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, he developed much-needed HIV in-patient and out-patient treatment units at University Hospital in Newark. Joining Wyeth in 1994, Stephen, as Vice-President for Viral Vaccine Research, oversaw the expansion of the company's programs to include vaccines for chronic infectious diseases, hospital-acquired infections, diseases affecting the geriatric population, respiratory syncytial virus, and HIV in addition to continuing Wyeth's work on rota-virus and the influenza vaccine delivered as a nasal spray. In 2006, committed to creating an AIDS vaccine, he joined the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) as Senior Vice-President of Research and Development. He was instrumental in developing a vaccine that IAVI is now evaluating in a clinical trial. In addition to his wife, he is survived by a sister, Edith Osman, a sister- and brother-in-law, Vicki and John Nelson, four nieces and nephews, and eight grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Stephen's parents, Arthur and Judith Udem, Jewish immigrants from Latvia who arrived in the US in 1940, died in 2006. A previous marriage to Linda Donaldson Kirk ended in divorce. A memorial service will be held on May 4th at 2:00 at the Ethical Culture Society, 2 West 64th Street.