TOP HIV RESEARCHER DIES OF COVID-19

Dr David Katzenstein, a leading Zimbabwe-based US researcher specialising in HIV research through collaborative efforts with local universities and medical research institutions has died.

He succumbed to Covid -19 on January 24 at the age of 69.

Dr Katzenstein was a Professor of Medicine in the infectious diseases division for Stanford University but largely worked here in Zimbabwe where he made enormous contributions to the understanding of HIV virology, antiretroviral therapy and drug resistance in the country and across Sub-Saharan Africa.

In a statement, Dr Upinder Singh, head of infectious diseases and geographic medicine at Stanford University, affectionately described him as generous and supportive.

“His expertise and passion in HIV and global health made him a sought after mentor,” she said. “He was loved by many in the US and also equally loved in Zimbabwe, his second home.”

His colleagues he worked with in Harare and at Biomedical Research and Training Institute (BRTI), said Dr Katzenstein was a passionate advocate for access to antiretroviral therapy and virologic testing in Sub-Saharan Africa for more than three decades.

He made valuable contributions to the management of HIV and ARVS and contributed to reputable scientific journals. Dr Katzenstein was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on January 3, 1952. Herald

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