Diane Edmund Griffin, renowned infectious disease virologist, dies at 84

Diane Griffin, a pioneering infectious-disease virologist, scientific leader, and Johns Hopkins professor, died Monday. She was 84.

At the time of her death, Griffin was chair emeritus of the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and vice president of the National Academy of Sciences.

Image credit: Courtesy of the Bloomberg School of Public Health

A world-renowned expert on alphaviruses, acute encephalitis, measles, HIV, and malaria, Griffin was one of the most prominent scientific leaders of her generation. Her contributions to the field include demonstrating that measles virus infection causes death primarily by increasing susceptibility to other infections. She also showed that the measles virus leaves RNA particles for months after apparent recovery—which may contribute to the lifelong protective immunity from measles. Her work has been cited more than 24,700 times.

"Diane was an incomparable teacher, mentor, scientist, leader, and human being whose kindness and civility elevated the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School and university communities," said Ellen J. MacKenzie, dean of the Bloomberg School of Public Health. "She was an exceptionally bright light in the world of public health, and she will be missed by colleagues and friends around the world."

Griffin joined Johns Hopkins in 1970 as a virology fellow in the School of Medicine, where she eventually became a full professor in 1985. In 1994, the Bloomberg School appointed Griffin chair of what was then the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease. She renamed the department Molecular Microbiology and Immunology to reflect the growing importance of molecular biology across the basic science spectrum. She served as department chair from 1994 to 2014. She was named a University Distinguished Service Professor in 2010. She was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 2009.

"In her decades at Johns Hopkins, Diane brought extraordinary intellect and visionary leadership to all she did," said JHU President Ron Daniels. "She was a true physician-scientist and a stellar citizen of the university who worked tirelessly in the service of the academic and scientific enterprise, championing research that served the public good and improved public health, especially through the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute—an endeavor she envisioned and brought to life. A boundlessly engaging teacher, trusted mentor, and wise counselor to legions of students, colleagues, and presidents, Diane will be profoundly missed for the pathbreaking discoveries she made and the myriad ways she touched so many lives."

During her tenure as department chair, Griffin served as the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute from 2001 to 2007. The institute was established at the request of Griffin with a gift from Michael Bloomberg.

"Diane was the consummate physician-scientist," said Arturo Casadevall, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Infectious Diseases. "Apart from her brilliant contributions to virology and immunology, she was unusual in how hard she worked for the scientific enterprise. She leaves a tremendous legacy for humanity in the knowledge that she contributed to the pathogenesis of infectious disease, including her trainees who continue her standards of excellence."

Diane Edmund was born on May 5, 1940, in Iowa City, Iowa, and grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She received her BA in biology in 1962 from Augustana College, in Rock Island, Illinois. Griffin pursued an MD and PhD in microbiology simultaneously at Stanford University, where she met her husband, John (Jack) Griffin. They married in 1965.

After earning an MD in 1968, she completed her residency in internal medicine at Stanford University Hospital while finishing her doctorate. She joined John Hopkins Medicine, along with her husband, in 1970.

Griffin was an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science as well as the Infectious Diseases Society of America. A frequent participant on National Institutes of Health study sections, she chaired the Special AIDS Study Section and co-chaired the Board of Scientific Counselors at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). She edited the Journal of Virology from 1994 to 2004.

"Diane was one of the nicest, brightest, and most energetic individuals I've ever known," said Al Sommer, a University Distinguished Service Professor who served as Bloomberg School dean from 1990 to 2005. "She had a profound impact on the school and her department, convincing Mike Bloomberg to fund a malaria research institute at our school and guiding its early development. She was a recognized 'global star', advising WHO on dealing with newly emerging infectious diseases and serving the National Academy of Sciences as its long-time vice president."

Her many national leadership positions included president of the American Society for Virology and president of the American Society for Microbiology. She had served as vice president of the National Academy of Sciences since 2013. She was an international ambassador for science who chaired the U.S.-Japan Viral Diseases Panel and advised the Israeli Vaccine Research Initiative and the WHO Ebola Vaccine Trial.

As a frequently requested search committee member, she guided the Institute of Medicine, NIAID Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, and NIAID Division Intramural Research in choosing their heads. She also helped the university select its current president, Ron Daniels; past deans of the schools of Medicine and Public Health; and numerous department chairs. Among her numerous awards and recognitions, she was elected to both the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences in 2004 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2024. She received the 2016 Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Achievement from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases for outstanding scientific contributions to the understanding of infectious diseases and public health.

Griffin is survived by two sons, sons, Todd and Eric, their spouses, four grandchildren, and two sisters. She was predeceased by her husband, John W. Griffin, a Johns Hopkins nerve disorder researcher who passed away in 2011.