Dr. Harold S. Margolis

Harold died on November 25, 2022, at home in Tucson, Arizona. He was 76 years old. Dr. Margolis, a native son of Tucson, was an Eagle Scout and graduated in the second class of the University of Arizona Medical School in 1972. He was a Pediatric Resident in Denver, Colorado and a Fellow in Infectious Disease at Denver's National Jewish Hospital. Dr. Margolis began his 34-year medical career at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), first serving in Alaska. He relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, serving in the CDC Hepatitis Branch. He orchestrated the complex move of that Branch to the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia and served as the Director of the Hepatitis Branch for over 20 years. Under his leadership, Hepatitis A and B infections and deaths were greatly reduced in the United States and globally due to systematic implementation of vaccine use. He then became the director of the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative at the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, South Korea, where he oversaw vaccine research and development. He finished his service with the CDC as the Director of the Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dr. Margolis mentored many young physicians and researchers in the Hepatitis and Dengue fields and contributed to bilateral relations in medical research in China, Russia, and many other countries around the world. Hal was a beloved son, brother, spouse, father, grandfather, and friend. He was an avid outdoorsman, woodworker, home renovator, and Wildcat. He is predeceased by his father, Maurice H. Margolis and mother, Helen Letz and his nephew, Reid Kotwica. Hal will be dearly missed by his spouse, Susan Quinn Margolis; his sister, Ronni Kotwica (and spouse Roland Kotwica); his son, Ellis (Patricia Azuara); his daughters, Leah and Amber (James Smith), and his grandsons, Mateo Margolis, Asher and Luke Smith. Also survived by a nephew and nieces who will miss him. A memorial will be held early in 2023 in Tucson, AZ.