WINNIPEG — Dr. Frank Plummer, the former scientific director of Canada’s National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, is being mourned as a “maverick.”
He died Tuesday at the age of 67.
Canada’s chief public health officer described Plummer’s death as “sudden” in a statement where she referred to him as her mentor.
“He was a scientific maverick who helped set up and make PHAC’s National Microbiology Laboratory a world class institution. He made outstanding contributions to public health, both through his research and his leadership,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer.
Tam said Plummer’s expertise, counsel and courage will be missed. She shared thoughts for his wife, friends and family.
Dr. Keith Fowke, head of medical microbiology at the University of Manitoba, told CTV News in an email that Plummer died of a heart attack Tuesday in Nairobi, Kenya.
“I was with him last week in Nairobi and he was full of energy and enthusiastic about his future and the work he was doing on an HIV vaccine,” said Fowke, who was also a former student of Plummer’s who described him as a mentor.
winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/frank-plummer-former-head-of-the-national-microbiology-lab-dead-at-67-1.4797116
Feb 03 2020!
Another H.I.V. Vaccine Fails a Trial, Disappointing Researchers
h/t Q33