Posted on October 14, 2002 at 11:17 a.m.
BIRMINGHAM, AL — Dr. Beatrice Hahn, professor of medicine and microbiology at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) has been named one of the top 50 most important women in science by Discover magazine. Among her many credits as a world-renowned AIDS researcher, Hahn led an international team of scientists in discovering the origin of HIV-1. That finding, announced in 1999, identified a subspecies of chimpanzee in West-Central Africa as the natural reservoir of the virus.
Discover will recognize Hahn and other top female scientists in its November issue, due out October 15. The women were selected on the basis of their exceptional and continuing contributions to the field of science despite the challenging politics and barriers they face as women. The issue also will feature a report on findings from a recent three-year study about women in science.
Hahn’s research continues to reveal new insight about the origins and evolution of HIV and SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus). In January, her research team announced the discovery of an SIV-infected chimpanzee living in the wild in Africa. The important finding allows researchers now to explore the history and behavior of SIV in its natural host and to begin to unravel how and why the virus jumped to humans.
Hahn joined the UAB faculty in 1985, following a post-doctoral fellowship with R.C. Gallo at the National Cancer Institute. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Rogensburg in West Germany and received her medical degree from the University of Munich Medical School.
Abstracts of articles appearing in the current issue of Discover are available online at www.discover.com.
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