Some of you may know that my love-hate relationship with tuberculosis began less than 10 years ago, on a fateful day when I tagged along my advisor Kawsar Talaat to a talk about latent TB by Joanne Flynn, and met Arthur Dannenberg Jr.
I wrote about it rather romantically here: "The Professor".
I was thinking about him a lot last week, thanks to certain events that unfolded.
This morning I received the following email from the alumni office:
Dear Alumni, I am writing with the sad news that Arthur M. Dannenberg Jr., MD, PhD, passed away after a long illness. He was 94. As many of you know, Art was a longtime faculty member, having joined Hopkins in 1964, and a renowned researcher into the pathogenesis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Art’s research explored cellular pathways to preventing and treating tuberculosis, and he was passionate about finding new vaccines against the disease. He was affiliated with the Johns Hopkins Vaccine Initiative as well as the Johns Hopkins Center for Tuberculosis Research, which established a student achievement award in his honor. His work made a lasting contribution to our understanding of a disease that still, despite significant progress in saving lives through diagnosis and treatment, remains one of the top 10 leading causes of death worldwide.A graduate of Swarthmore College, Art obtained his medical degree from Harvard in 1947. He continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania where, in 1952, he received a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in experimental pathology.
The School recruited Art to Johns Hopkins in 1964 as an associate professor of radiological health sciences, based on his promising work to develop biochemical, immunological and pathological approaches to studying cellular response to injury, using radiation injury as a model. In 1973, he received joint appointments in the departments of Epidemiology and in Environmental Health Sciences (now the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering). His lab was dedicated to using the rabbit model of tuberculosis to study the pathogenesis and immunology of the disease, as well as genetic factors and vaccine effectiveness. More than 20 postdoctoral fellows, many from Japan, trained in the Dannenberg Laboratory. In 1976, he received a joint appointment at the School and in Medicine’s Pathology Department. Prior to joining Hopkins, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in biochemistry at the University of Utah School of Medicine and was an assistant professor, from 1956 to 1964, at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine. Art authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers and was a member of the Delta Omega Public Health Honorary Society, Alpha Chapter, and the Society for Leukocyte Biology where, in 1984, he was awarded an Honorary Life Membership. His 450-page book, Pathogenesis of Human Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Insights from the Rabbit Model, was published in 2006 by the American Society for Microbiology Press, Washington, D.C. A devoted teacher and mentor, Art continued to teach after he had “semi-retired” and his lab closed, including the courses “Principles of Bacterial Infections in the Department of Medical Microbiology” and “Tissue Injury, Inflammation and Repair” in what was then known as the Department of Environmental Health Sciences. Art was predeceased by his wife, Aileen H. Dannenberg. He is survived by his son, Andrew L. Dannenberg, and daughters, Arlene Dannenberg Bowes and Audrey Ann Dannenberg. All of us who worked with Art over the years were impressed by his tireless pursuit and devotion to unraveling the mysteries of one of the most important infections plaguing humans throughout history – tuberculosis. We will sorely miss his enthusiasm and devotion to medical research and to educating the next generation of scientists. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his colleagues, students and family.
When I met Art, he was already 86. I remember being so enamoured by this scientist of days past, who was fighting hard to not just remain present, but to thrive.
It is so easy to just let go and one would not be expecting anything out of someone who had already spent more than half a decade of their life devoted to understanding one of the most formidable of human pathogens. But Art had a mission and masyaAllah he had the will and energy.
When we talk about love, we talk about our hearts fluttering, or our hearts deflating. He certainly had that kind of love too, I'm sure-- a wife, and kids, family. But his love for science, for tuberculosis, was visceral. It was a thing of magic for me. Unwavering, determined.
I remember he was telling me about his paper on liquefaction (of TB granulomas), how much resistance he received. He tried for years, and even by then he was all but retired. But he broke into a smile and said, "But it has a happy ending! The paper was finally accepted, and now liquefaction is pretty much well accepted."
Rereading our email correspondence, I remember now he was kind but he was also tough. I do not think age mellowed him, but it did become him. Here are some of my favorite emails to/from him:
Dear Dr Dannenberg,
We spoke after the seminar on latent tuberculosis by Joanne Flynn, and you kindly explained to me the difference between tuberculin and PPDT. You also gave some literature on tuberculosis which I read over the past two days. My interest in this subject is definitely piqued, and I'd like to know if the Welch Library has a copy of your book "Pathogenesis of Human Pulmonary Tuberculosis Insights from the Rabbit Model". I checked on the library website but it doesn't seem to have the information stored in the electronic catalog.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your explanations on the pathogenesis, and I've learned quite a bit on tuberculosis over two days! On the side, I loved that you included anecdotes of your history with Max Lurie and your own tuberculosis stories. I hope to learn more.
Most importantly, you've convinced me that if someone's not doing those studies on liquefaction and prevention of liquefaction, then it should be done.
(You might also be happy to know that I was not late for class that Thursday.)
Best,
Kye (rhymes with Bye)
Dear Kye:
Thanks for your enthusiastic e-mail.
Welch Library always had a copy of my book. Also, there is one in the MMI library and, I think, in the Epidemiology Dept. library, as I gave them one. Our EHS Dept. has a copy, and the Pathology library across the street has a copy. Also, there are about 5 copies in the offices of members of the TB Center in Cancer Research Bldg II. If you have trouble checking out a copy, let me know, and I’ll lend you one of my own copies.
Glad you were not late for class.
Best wishes,
Art Dannenberg
Dear Art,
I am very interested in this project. It's a new topic to me, so I'm trying to read up more about it and 'caseinate' the philosophy in my head. I'm still in my first year of Master's in International Health and I'm due to graduate May 2011, after which I hope to start my PhD in MMI or any other institution that I can get admission to study this.
I'm very pleased with your offer to be my co-advisor. I hope it still stands next year.
I hope to talk to you again soon, and that you and your family are well in this 'snowmageddon'.
Best,Kye
Dear Kye;
I finally got one car usable and free of snow. I shoveled it out in 30 to 60 minute sessions over three days.
You might want to talk with Ying Zhang of MMI about the liquefaction-cavity project. He’s a full professor here and one of the finest scientists I know. I’d love to work with him if he would be your main adviser in MMI.
Best wishes,
ART (Dannenberg)
Dear Art,
That's quite amazing, you must be in fantastic shape. I tried my first hand at shoveling last night for 20 minutes and I could feel my back breaking with each shovel... although it seems the snow today will make all shoveling efforts back to square one.
I will follow your advice and talk to Prof Zhang soon. I will inform you of any updates regarding that.
Best,Kye
Dear Kye:
Congratulations!
I am honored that you told me about your wedding and sent pictures of it to me. Both weddings seemed like magnificent affairs.
You must have a wonderful family.
If you are not too busy, e-mail me about the groom. Is he in the medical field? Did you know him for a long time? Did you families know each other beforehand?
I hope you have as many happy years together as my wife and I have. We are now married 62 years.
Fond regards to both of you,
Art (Dannenberg)
Art, you will be missed. May Allah rest your soul, and give you peace. May your wonderful work outlive us all.
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