The Locally Unknown but a Famous Scientist

When I heard that Dr. Adel has passed away I was shocked, not because I know the guy, or the death news, every moment people passed away, absolutely, I was checked because we as Egyptian do not know much about him while the whole world knew who he is. It’s a shame. Many questions started to jump out of my head, Am I the only one who didn’t know, or there are too many just like me. Why his name never mentions in the local media, with all these social networks and propaganda no one mentions him, and wondered, does any student saw his name anywhere during his study, or research, why other Egyptian scientists who are worked in the same field never talk about him, are they jealous or it is the competition? In the end, I got no answers. So, I started to read more about him and, here what I found out starting from the end:
 Prof. Adel A. F. Mahmoud, M.D., Ph.D., (August 24, 1941 – June 11, 2018)
On June 11th, the world lost the famous Egyptian Muslim biologist and physician, Dr. Adel Mahmoud, known for developing the lifesaving vaccines of Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Rotavirus. The renowned expert in infectious diseases, who worked as a professor of Molecular Biology at Princeton University, died on June 11 in Manhattan,
Let’s get closer and Who is Dr. Adel Mahmoud?
Adel Mahmoud was born Aug. 24, 1941, in Cairo, and was the oldest of three children. When he was 10, he ran to the pharmacy to get his sick father penicillin, and when he returned, his father had died, his wife said. The loss forced him to grow up fast, and he became a father figure to his siblings, Dr. Hodder added.
He received his medical degree from Cairo University in 1963, and in 1971, he obtained a doctorate from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Mahmoud came to the U.S. in 1973 as a postdoctoral fellow at Case Western Reserve University, not wanting to return to Egypt due to political upheaval. He taught at Case Western for 26 years before becoming the president of Merck Vaccines. He left Merck in 2006 and began teaching at Princeton University in 2007.
Dr. Mahmoud, an infectious-disease expert, was president of Merck & Co.’s vaccine division from 1998 until 2006. At the drug giant, he oversaw the development and sale of vaccines for HPV; the rotavirus infection; shingles; and a combination vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella, and chickenpox. As of 2017, more than 500 million doses of those four vaccines had been distributed around the globe, according to Merck.

According to his profile & Biography – Bloomberg
Prof. Adel A. F. Mahmoud, M.D., Ph.D., has been a Professor at Princeton University in the Department of Molecular Biology and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs since 2007. Prof. Mahmoud served as the Chief Medical Advisor, Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at Merck & Co., Inc. from September 1, 2005, to 2006. He served as the President of Merck Vaccines, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc. from May 1999 to 2005. Prior to November 1998, Prof. Mahmoud was the John H. Hord Professor and Chairman, Department of Medicine, Physician-in-Chief, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals of Cleveland, from 1987 to 1998 and Chief of Geographic Medicine from 1977 to 1987. He worked for more than three decades as an educator and academic researcher. He has held positions at the University of Cairo and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has been a Director for Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since March 26, 2012, and International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Inc. since April 09, 2012. He serves as a Member of Advisory Board at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He serves as the Chairman of Scientific Advisory Board at ILiAD Biotechnologies, LLC. He serves as a Member of Scientific Advisory Board at Boston BioCom LLC. He serves as a Director at Sanaria Inc. He served as a Member of Scientific Advisory Board at Genocea Biosciences, Inc. from August 2007 to 2009. Prof. Mahmoud served as an Independent Director of Becton, Dickinson, and Company from July 25, 2006, to January 28, 2014. He served as a Director of GenVec, Inc. from June 15, 2011, to September 1, 2013. Prof. Mahmoud served as the President of the International Society for Infectious Diseases and was the Chair of the Board of Scientific Counselors of the U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases. He serves as the Chairman of the National Institutes of Health’s Blue Ribbon Panel to Advise on the Risk Assessment of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories at Boston University Medical Center and the National Academy of Sciences’ Committee on the Prevention of Proliferation of Biological Weapons. He has been the Chairman of International Vaccine Institute since January 2013. He was a Member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Parasitic Diseases of the World Health Organization. He served as Chair of the Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Microbial Threats, advising on a range of international health issues including bioterrorism, SARS and pandemic flu. He served on the Board of the GAVI Alliance and President of the Central Society for Clinical Research. He is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the Council on Foreign Relations. Prof. Mahmoud holds M.D. from University of Cairo, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt, D.P.H. from University of Ain Shams, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt and Ph.D. from University of London, School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, (Clinical Tropical Medicine).

What did other scientists say about him?
“Adel was a beloved teacher, mentor, and colleague,” said Bonnie Bassler, the Squibb Professor in Molecular Biology and chair of the Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton. “Our students flocked to him because he made learning science entirely relevant to saving lives. He was devoted to helping budding scientists believe they could make a difference. As a colleague, he was a sought-after leading intellect who coupled deep thinking with a cheerful, can-do attitude, inspiring all of us to do more. We will miss him terribly.”

“Adel’s keen intelligence, wit, and genius for problem-solving were legendary,” said Dr. Pamela Davis, dean of the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. “The world is a little less bright without his light.”

“Not only was he my lifelong mentor, he was a true force of health for people everywhere,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, Merck executive vice president and former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Adel was as beloved as he was accomplished, said Ken Frazier, Merck’s chairman, and CEO. “He leaves an enduring legacy of protecting the health of infants, adolescents, and adults around the world. Few physician-scientists have had the global public health impact that Adel Mahmoud had.”
“Adel was always one of the very first people to whom we turned when we needed sage advice about difficult policy issues,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “His judgment was flawless.”

“Adel was not only a brilliant scientist and scholar; he fundamentally understood that research needs to be advanced through sound health policy in order to improve lives,” said Cecilia Rouse, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School and the Lawrence and Shirley Katzman and Lewis and Anna Ernst Professor in the Economics of Education. “We will miss his wisdom, insights, intellect and — perhaps most of all — his wonderful infectious laugh.”

“Adel was a key player in the development of Princeton’s Global Health Program,” said Janet Currie, the Henry Putnam Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, chair of the Department of Economics and director of the Center for Health and Wellbeing. “Students loved him. He had very high expectations, but he knew they could meet them and helped them to learn that too. His passion and good humor will be greatly missed.”

“Adel was a remarkable intellect, but he never lost touch with humanity,” said Dr. Farrar. “He never lost the sense of the public good. Adel wanted to use science to benefit humanity.”

“At Princeton, he engaged in public policy discussions and worked to imbue the next generation with the love of learning and commitment to public health that guided his life and career,” said Princeton University’s website, mourning his death.

In conclusion, all this information was out there, I just thought to put it together in one place. Yet, I keep asking myself, what did I learn from this experience? I think we need to know more about our own people and culture, we have to dig more …..