Richard Michael Krause (January 4, 1925 – January 6, 2015) was an American physician, microbiologist, and immunologist. He was the director of the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases from 1975 to 1984. Krause later served as the dean of medicine at
Emory University before returning to
National Institutes of Health as a senior scientific advisor at the
John E. Fogarty International Center
The John E. Fogarty International Center was founded in 1968 by US President Lyndon Johnson at the National Institutes of Health to support international medical and behavioral research and to train international researchers.
History
On July 1, ...
. Krause was formerly a longtime professor at
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private biomedical research and graduate-only university in New York City, New York. It focuses primarily on the biological and medical sciences and provides doctoral and postdoctoral education. It is classif ...
.
Early life and education
Richard Michael Krause was born in
Marietta, Ohio, on January 4, 1925. His father was a chemistry professor at
Marietta College.
He received a B.A. degree from Marietta in 1947.
For two years before graduation, Krause served in the
United States Army guarding German
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
at
Fort Riley.
In 1952 he graduated from
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Charles H. Rammelkamp, Jr. was Krause's research mentor.
In the course of his medical studies, he participated in epidemiologic research on the prevention of rheumatic fever, which spurred his interest in the relationship between infection and immunity.
Career
In 1954, following training at Barnes Hospital in
St. Louis under immunologist
Barry Wood, he joined the
Rockefeller Institute and Hospital where he rose to the rank of professor. At Rockefeller, Krause worked with his role models
Oswald Avery and
Rebecca Lancefield and became lifelong friends with
Purnell W. Choppin
Purnell Whittington Choppin (July 4, 1929 – July 3, 2021) was an American virologist. He served on the faculty of Rockefeller University for nearly thirty years, becoming the Leon Hess Professor of Virology. He moved to the Howard Hughes Medic ...
and
Maclyn McCarty
Maclyn McCarty (June 9, 1911 – January 2, 2005) was an American geneticist, a research scientist described in 2005 as "the last surviving member of a Manhattan scientific team that overturned medical dogma in the 1940's and became the first to ...
.
The persistent theme underlying his research concerned the substances in bacteria that stimulate the body's immune system. This is best exemplified by his research on the immune response to streptococcal polysaccharides. This led to an examination of the genetic factors that influenced the immune response. In recognition of his research achievements, he was elected to the
U.S. National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Natio ...
in 1977.
Appointed the director of
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 1975, Krause was among the first to perceive "the return of the microbes." He guided the institute through a period of growth to cope with the re-emergence of microbial diseases as health threats and to stimulate research on the complexity of the immune system.
NIAID was reorganized along programmatic lines and the
Rocky Mountain Laboratory was restructured into independent laboratories. The institute also led the way in recombinant DNA research and technology. Responding to the emergence of the
AIDS epidemic
The global epidemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2021, HIV/AI ...
in the early 1980s, Krause organized field studies in Haiti and Zaire in the search for the origins of the virus.
Krause faced criticism over his level of urgency in addressing the AIDS crisis. Activists such as
Larry Kramer stated that Krause "crucified" the gay population by not responding quicker to the crisis.
In July 1984, Krause retired from the
U.S. Public Health Service
The United States Public Health Service (USPHS or PHS) is a collection of agencies of the Department of Health and Human Services concerned with public health, containing nine out of the department's twelve operating divisions. The Assistant ...
and became dean of medicine at
Emory University. In 1989, he returned to
National Institutes of Health (NIH) to become a senior scientific advisor at the
Fogarty International Center.
Personal life
Krause died on January 6, 2015, in
Washington, D.C. Scientist and NIH researcher
Michael W. Krause is his grandnephew.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krause, Richard M.
1925 births
2015 deaths
National Institutes of Health people
Rockefeller University faculty
Emory University School of Medicine faculty
American university and college faculty deans
People from Marietta, Ohio
Marietta College alumni
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine alumni
Scientists from Ohio
Military personnel from Ohio
United States Army personnel of World War II
20th-century American biologists
21st-century American biologists
21st-century American physicians
20th-century American physicians
Physicians from Ohio
American immunologists
American microbiologists
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps officers