Joseph Allen Cook

Dr. Joseph Allen Cook, who was 87, died in Pittsboro, NC, on October 1, 2022. A specialist in tropical infectious diseases, he was the founding director of the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI), one of the most successful non-governmental organizations attempting to ameliorate the toll of infectious diseases in the developing world. The cause of death was Acute Myeloid Leukemia.



Joe was born November 26, 1934 in Chickasha, OK to Sylvia Lawrence and Howard Cook. Born into three generations of public school educators, he attended Chickasha Public Schools and the University of Oklahoma on an NROTC scholarship, graduating in 1952. Following graduation, he served as a line officer on the aircraft carrier USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39) for three years. After a year in Washington, D.C. he left the Navy as a Lieutenant to attend Vanderbilt Medical School. He was President of his graduating class (1964) and elected to the medical honorary society, Alpha Omega Alpha. A week following graduation, he married Elizabeth (Betty Anne) Curtis.



After internship and residency at UNC Chapel Hill, NC, and a final year at Harvard School of Public Health in Infectious Tropical Diseases, he joined the Rockefeller Foundation on a project in St. Lucia for the control of Schistosomiasis, where he was in charge of clinical and field studies. The project ended in 1981; the findings and success of his work on clinical and chemotherapy served as the foundation for later and current Schistosomiasis control programs in Africa.



Joe joined the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation in 1978 where he directed the program in Tropical Disease Research for the next 24 years. He was the founding director of the International Trachoma Initiative (www.trachoma.org), an outgrowth of the Clark Foundation's research, supported by the foundation and Pfizer. ITI now has programs to eliminate blinding trachoma in over 50 countries; according to the World Health Organization, 14 countries have eliminated this major cause of preventable blindness.



A past president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, he received the Mackay Medal from this society in 2001. Joe served on advisory committees in the US and for the World Health Organization. In 2002, the French International Agency against Trachoma awarded him The Grande Medaille d'Or.



Although Joe had a successful and fruitful career, his heart was always with his family. His marriage of 58 years to Betty Anne was one many would wish to emulate. It was a gift for his daughters to be raised in a home with such mutual respect, support, and love. In addition to Betty Anne, he is survived by three daughters and sons-in-law, Catherine and Saul Zambrano, Caroline and Richard Alter, and Marianne and Robert Ratcliffe, (all of Chapel Hill, NC), eight grandchildren (Zofia and Josephina Zambrano; Robby, Curtis, and Caleb Alter; Davis, Andrew, and Caroline Ratcliffe) and his sister-in-law, Caroline Curtis Bloom of Osterville, MA. After many years in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, twenty years in Fearrington Village, NC, and summering in Woods Hole on Cape Cod, the whole family is now located in NC. He is predeceased by his parents and a beloved brother, Lawrence Cook.



Joe was the epitome of a gentleman, always thoughtful and interested, compassionate above all. He smiled often and was exceptionally good humored. Joe's ability to remember names and people's stories was remarkable - always focusing on others - which was fulfilling for him and those around him. His friendships were broad and far-reaching. Those who knew him, noted his rich and open mind, along with intellectual curiosity, high standards and steadfast commitment to what he believed was right. His daughters and others frequently sought his advice, and his insights were delivered with both comfort and encouragement. He loved music and played the piano throughout his life. Having been the organist at his church in high school, he particularly enjoyed and supported the music programs at his churches in adult years. His unlimited interests and approach to life set an example for his family of the importance of hard work, quiet persistence, and humble leadership.



A memorial service is being planned at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill, NC. In lieu of flowers, consider advancing Joe's vision of a world free from blinding Trachoma by contributing to the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI). Donations to ITI can be made via the Task Force for Global Health https://www.taskforce.org/donate/. More information about Joe's vision and work is located at https://www.trachoma.org.