EGPAF Remembers Arthur Ammann, a Pioneer in Pediatric HIV/AIDS Response

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) mourns the loss of Arthur Ammann, MD, who died on August 15, 2021, in San Rafael, California. Dr. Ammann was instrumental in launching the organization and in guiding its early work. Dr. Ammann served as director of Research for the Pediatric AIDS Foundation (later renamed the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation) from 1992 to 1996.

“Art was a hero to kids and families with HIV/AIDS early in the epidemic,” said Susie Zeegen, an EGPAF co-founder along with Elizabeth Glaser and Susan DeLaurentis. “He was an especially dear friend to Elizabeth, Susan, and me. May his memory be a blessing.”

“The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation would not be what it is today without the early guidance and commitment from Art Ammann,” said Susan DeLaurentis. “We were fortunate that he agreed to join us as our director of Research. He led all of our groundbreaking research projects with constant creativity and innovation, which helped to change the course of pediatric HIV.”

In the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, almost all of the research centered on adults, where the greatest visible devastation was occurring. Common opinion among medical professionals held that HIV could not affect children. As the director of the Pediatric Immunology and Clinical Research Center at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), Dr. Ammann maintained his focus on children and made what he called the “terrible discovery” that HIV could be transmitted to children in utero and through blood transfusions. His pioneering work broadened the understanding of HIV and identified the rising global health crisis involving women and their children.

Art was a hero to kids and families with HIV/AIDS early in the epidemic. Susie Zeegen, EGPAF Co-Founder

Art Ammann was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Wheaton College in Illinois for his undergraduate degree. In 1962, he earned his medical degree from New Jersey Medical School and then served a residency in pediatrics at UCSF. After his residency, Dr. Ammann worked with immunologist Richard Stiehm, MD, documenting Immunoglobulin A as a major antibody in breastmilk that provides protection for breastfeeding infants.

In 1971, Dr. Ammann returned to UCSF to head up the new Pediatric Immunology and Clinical Research Center. There, he led clinical trials on protecting children with sickle cell anemia and the elderly from pneumococcal infection. He and his team developed the first FDA-approved vaccine against pneumococcal infection, which helped save millions of lives, especially those of the elderly and children. When the HIV epidemic hit the United States, Dr. Ammann and his team discovered that infants and children can be infected with HIV, which established his work trajectory for the next five decades.

“Art was the first to recognize AIDS in an infant at a time when few believed this possible, thinking of the condition as only affecting adults,” wrote Paul Volberding, MD, a colleague at UCSF. “He was a visionary scientist and an outspoken advocate for children.”

The world has lost a brilliant scientist, an influential advocate, and a caring and kind physician. Susan DeLaurentis, EGPAF Co-Founder

“It was terrible; there was no treatment,” commented Dr. Ammann regarding his work with pediatric AIDS at that time. “People just didn’t want AIDS to affect infants. And they didn’t believe it until HIV testing became available.”

Through this research, Dr. Ammann realized that the blood supply could be tainted with HIV and raised an alarm, which was largely dismissed at that time—several prominent medical journals rejected articles by Dr. Ammann on the subject. Elizabeth Glaser was infected with HIV in 1981 through a blood transfusion and unknowingly transmitted the virus to both of her children.

Dr. Ammann was a vocal advocate for HIV counseling and testing for all pregnant women. Among his many roles in HIV research and advocacy, Dr. Ammann chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR) from 1988 to 1994. As EGPAF’s director of Research, Dr. Ammann focused on finding a way to disrupt HIV transmission from mother-to-child.

“If we can identify the causes of maternal-infant transmission, we could virtually eradicate it,” Dr. Ammann said in 1996, referring to the Ariel Project, which examined biologic and clinical factors associated with the transmission of HIV from mother to child. The project was named for Elizabeth Glaser’s daughter, Ariel, who died of AIDS-related causes in 1988.

“Art was an extraordinary mentor to many of us,” said Trish Devine-Karlin, EGPAF’s Executive Vice President of External Affairs. “He brought amazing vision and commitment to all of our work and was a true champion for the needs of children in the AIDS response.”

From his discovery of HIV in children, Dr. Ammann spent his life studying the virus in relation to children and women and advocating on behalf of populations underserved by public health resources. In 1999, Dr. Ammann founded Global Strategies for HIV Prevention (later renamed Global Strategies), a nonprofit organization that trained health workers treating pregnant women living with HIV and establishing the first HIV/AIDS program for children in Republic of the Congo.

Dr. Ammann demanded that children not be forgotten in the HIV/AIDS response. All of our work follows from the work of Dr. Ammann. Chip Lyons, EGPAF CEO

“Current success in prevention of mother-to child HIV transmission is possible in part from the vision, dedication, and contributions of Dr. Ammann,” said Laura Guay, MD, EGPAF’s vice president of Research.

“The world has lost a brilliant scientist, an influential advocate and a caring and kind physician,” added EGPAF co-founder Susan DeLaurentis. “Through his entire career he was guided by his heart and deep compassion for those suffering and not able to access treatment or care. He is irreplaceable and will be forever missed.”

“The history of the HIV response cannot be written without acknowledging Dr. Ammann’s pivotal role,” said EGPAF President Chip Lyons. “He demanded that children not be forgotten in the HIV/AIDS response, and he harnessed his expertise on their behalf. All of our work follows from the work of Dr. Ammann.”