Mathilde Krim

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Mathilde Krim, Ph.D. (born July 9, 1926, Como, Italy)^[1] is most famous for her role as the founding Chairman of amfAR, a well-known association for AIDS research.

[edit] Biography

Dr. Krim received her Ph.D. from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, in 1953. From 1953 to 1959, she pursued research in cytogenetics and cancer-causing viruses at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, where she was a member of the team that first developed a method for the prenatal determination of sex.

Dr. Krim moved to New York and joined the research staff of Cornell University Medical School following her 1958 marriage to the late Arthur B. Krim—a New York attorney, head of United Artists Motion Picture Company, and founder of Orion Pictures. In 1962 Dr. Krim became a research scientist at the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research and, from 1981 to 1985, she was the Director of its Interferon Laboratory. She currently holds the academic appointment of Adjunct Professor of Public Health and Management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Dr. Krim holds 16 doctorates honoris causa and has received numerous other honors and distinctions. In August 2000, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom— the highest civilian honor in the United States—in recognition of her “extraordinary compassion and commitment.” ^[2]

She is a convert to Judaism^[3], and was an active member of the Irgun underground headed by Menachem Begin. ^[4]

[edit] References

1. ^ Encyclopedia Brittanica entry
2. ^ Leadership; Mathilde Krim Bio
3. ^ Dr. Mathilde Krim: Focusing Attention On Aids Research - New York Times
4. ^ Carmody, Deirdre (1990-01-30). Painful Political Lesson for AIDS Crusader - New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-04-17.