Diane Griffin, MD, PhD

Diane Edmund Griffin, MD, PhD, a University Distinguished Service Professor, Gilman Scholar, and chair emeritus of the W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, died on October 28, 2024, at age 84. 

As a world-renowned expert on alphaviruses, acute encephalitis, measles, HIV, and malaria, Diane was a commanding intellect in infectious virology and a prized mentor to both faculty and students at the School. She served as MMI chair from 1994 to 2014 and as vice president of the National Academy of Sciences from 2013 until her death.

“Diane was the consummate physician-scientist,” says Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD, 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 served on innumerable committees and editorial boards and trained legions of scientists. She leaves a tremendous legacy for humanity in the knowledge she contributed to the pathogenesis of infectious disease, including her trainees who continue her standards of excellence.”

Diane 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. Diane pursued an MD and PhD in microbiology simultaneously at Stanford University, where she also met her husband, John (Jack) Griffin. After earning an MD in 1968, she completed her residency in internal medicine at Stanford University Hospital. 

Diane joined Johns Hopkins in 1970 as a virology fellow in the School of Medicine, along with her husband, a neurologist. In 1973, she was named an assistant professor of medicine and neurology and garnered recognition for her investigations of measles and alphavirus encephalomyelitis. Her work clarified the role of the immune response in four critical areas: virus clearance, vaccine-induced protection from infection, tissue damage, and immune suppression. Although she always remained interested in clinical medicine, in later years she devoted herself exclusively to virology research with a strong focus on immunology.

In 1994, the Bloomberg School appointed Diane as chair of what was then the Department of Immunology and Infectious Disease, which she renamed Molecular Microbiology and Immunology to reflect the growing importance of molecular biology across the basic science spectrum. She was named a University Distinguished Service Professor in 2010 and inducted into the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame in 2009.

“Diane was one of the nicest, brightest, and most energetic individuals I’ve ever known,” said Al Sommer, MD, 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 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 lifelong protective immunity from measles. Diane was among the most prominent scientific leaders of her generation—her work was cited more than 24,700 times.

“This was a follow-your-nose career; this was a take-advantage-of-the-opportunities career,” Diane said of her wide-ranging and fortuitous path through academic science, medicine, and public health.

One of the most impactful opportunities came in 2000, when Michael Bloomberg agreed to fund Diane’s request to establish the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, which she directed from 2001 to 2007. As dean emeritus Michael J. Klag, MD, MPH ’87 noted, “Diane displayed particular genius by using the complex life cycle as a weapon against the parasite. She used it as a strategic plan for recruiting world-class researchers, each of whom would target a specific phase in the parasite’s life cycle—seeking an Achilles’ heel. JHMRI’s faculty are now delivering fundamental insights about the parasite and the Anopheles mosquito that are advancing global efforts to treat and control the disease.”

“Diane was an incomparable teacher, mentor, scientist, leader, and human being whose kindness and civility elevated the Bloomberg School and University communities,” said Bloomberg School Dean Ellen J. MacKenzie, ScM ’75, PhD ’79. “She was an exceptionally bright light in the world of public health, and she will be missed by colleagues and friends around the world.”

Diane was an elected member of several of the most prestigious scientific organizations, including the National Academy of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Infectious Diseases Society of America. 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. 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. She edited the Journal of Virology from 1994 to 2004.

Among her many national leadership positions, she served as president of the American Society for Virology and the American Society for Microbiology. 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 2015 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 of Intramural Research in choosing their heads. She also helped Johns Hopkins select its current president, Ron Daniels, JD, as well as past deans and numerous department chairs of the schools of Medicine and Public Health.

“In her decades at Johns Hopkins, Diane brought extraordinary intellect and visionary leadership to all she did,” said President 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.”

We extend our deepest condolences to Diane’s family, colleagues, and students. In the weeks to come, the School will be organizing a tribute to Diane. Details will follow shortly. 

If you would like to make a contribution to honor Diane’s memory, please donate online or by check to the Diane Griffin Scholarship in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology.