Prof. Anne Gershon Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, USA

Anne Gershon, MD, was educated at Smith College and Cornell Medical School. She became Professor of Paediatrics at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1986. Her research has included epidemiology, diagnosis, immunology, latency, prevention, and treatment of varicella and zoster. Her studies with varicella vaccine of the safety... read moreand efficacy of the vaccine in leukemic children and adults were critical to its licensure in the US. Varicella vaccine was recommended for all healthy varicella susceptible individuals in the United States in 1995. She is continuing to study the safety and efficacy of varicella vaccine in the “vaccine era”. She has received research funding from the NIH to study the growth and pathogenesis of VZV in cell culture, and latency and reactivation of VZV in humans and animal models almost continuously for over 40 years. Dr. Gershon served on the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Paediatrics ("Red Book" Committee) and the Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the CDC. She was a member of the Councils of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the Paediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS). She was President of IDSA in 2008-9. She is the author of over 350 publications and has edited 14 books. She has received many professional awards including Distinguished Women of Smith College, Scientific Achievement Award of the Varicella-Zoster Research Foundation, Distinguished Physician Award of the Paediatric Infectious Disease Society, Distinguished Alumnus of Weill Cornell Medical School, Plotkin Vaccinology Award, the Gold medal of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Fleming Award for Lifetime Achievement of the IDSA, and the Lifetime Achievement in Infectious Disease Teaching from the American Academy of Paediatrics. She was awarded an honorary DSc from Smith College in 1993.