Anne A. Gershon

Anne A. Gershon
NationalityAmerican
Alma materSmith College (BsC)
Cornell University (MD)
Known forWork on chickenpox
SpouseMichael D. Gershon
AwardsAlbert B. Sabin Gold Medal (2013)
Maxwell Finland Award (2019)
Scientific career
FieldsPediatric infectious disease
InstitutionsColumbia University

Anne Gershon is an infectious disease researcher and professor of pediatrics at Columbia University. She is best known for her work on the varicella-zoster virus, the causative agent for chickenpox.[1] In the 1970s, she ran clinical trials for the varicella vaccine which showed that the vaccine was safe for children with leukemia. She also developed the first sensitive test for chickenpox.[2]

Education

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Gershon studied pre-medicine at Smith College and graduated in 1960.[3] She completed her medical degree at Cornell Medical School and her residency at New York Hospital.[4] While in New York, Gershon studied the herpes simplex virus in infants.[5]

Career

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After Michiaki Takahasi developed a vaccine against variella in the late 1960s,[6] Gershon organized the Varicella Vaccine Collaborative Study Group to study both the safety and efficacy of this vaccine.[2] This group, funded by the NIH, showed that the varicella vaccine was safe even for children who were in remission from leukemia.[7] In 1991, the group published "The Incidence of Zoster after Immunization with Live Attenuated Varicella Vaccine -- A Study in Children with Leukemia," in the New England Journal of Medicine. They showed that leukemic children who were vaccinated against varicella had lower rates of later varicella infection than children who were naturally infected.[8]

In 2000, Gershon, along with Ann M. Arvin, published Varicella-zoster virus: virology and clinical management.[9]

She has stated that her decision to study pediatrics was because it was "essentially the only field open to women at the time."[2]

Awards and leadership

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In 1993, Gershon was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science from Smith College.[1]

From 2008-2009, Gershon was the president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.[1]

In 2013, Gershon was awarded the Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal in recognition of her research that led to public acceptance of the chickenpox vaccine.[10]

In 2019, Gershon was awarded the Maxwell Finland Award for Scientific Research.[11]

Personal life

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Anne Gershon is married to Michael D. Gershon.[2] Her father was a doctor, and she has stated that she wanted to pursue a similar career.[3] She has also cited her personal experiences with infectious diseases, including toxoplasmosis and mononucleosis, as her reason to study vaccinology.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Anne A Gershon, MD". Department of Pediatrics. 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Anne Gershon, MD, FIDSA: A Woman of ID – IDSA Foundation". idsafoundation.org. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  3. ^ a b Dietz, Nancy (2021). "Anne Angen Gershon '60 MD is a trailblazer and a lifesaver" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Dr. Anne Gershon, MD, Pediatrics Specialist - New York, NY". Sharecare. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  5. ^ Gershon, Anne A. (1972-11-01). "Herpes Simplex Infection of the Newborn". Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 124 (5): 739–741. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1972.02110170117021. ISSN 1072-4710. PMID 4343658.
  6. ^ Yardley, William (Dec 21, 2013). "Michiaki Takahashi, 85, Who Tamed Chickenpox, Dies". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Marin, Mona; Seward, Jane F; Gershon, Anne A (2022-10-21). "25 Years of Varicella Vaccination in the United States". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 226 (Suppl 4): S375–S379. doi:10.1093/infdis/jiac251. ISSN 0022-1899. PMC 10310989. PMID 36265845.
  8. ^ Gershon, A. A.; Steinberg, S. P. (April 1990). "Live attenuated varicella vaccine: protection in healthy adults compared with leukemic children. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Varicella Vaccine Collaborative Study Group". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 161 (4): 661–666. doi:10.1093/infdis/161.4.661. ISSN 0022-1899. PMID 2156941.
  9. ^ Arvin, Ann M.; Gershon, Anne A. (2000). Varicella-zoster virus: virology and clinical management. Cambridge: Cambridge university press. ISBN 978-0-521-66024-2.
  10. ^ Radice, Lauren (2013-04-23). "Dr. Anne Gershon Receives 2013 Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal Award". Sabin Vaccine Institute. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  11. ^ 2019 NFID Awards Dinner: Anne A. Gershon, MD, 15 May 2019, retrieved 2023-11-28
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