Don Francis Bio, Wiki, Age, Wife, And The Band Played On, And Net Worth

Don Francis Bio | Wiki

Don Francis is an American epidemiologist who served on the Ebola outbreak in Africa in the late 1970s and as an HIV/AIDS researcher. In 1992, he retired from the U.S. Public Health Service, after 21 years of service. Smallpox invaded Sudan, India, and Bangladesh which Francis helped eradicate before working on AIDS.

Additionally, he served on the cholera epidemic in Nigeria in the early 1970s, the 1976 Ebola epidemic in Sudan, and the smallpox epidemic in Yugoslavia in 1972. Furthermore, Francis was an early developer of the hepatitis B vaccine in China and the United States. In addition, Francis was one of the first scientists to suggest that AIDS was caused by an infectious agent.

He served as the director of the CDC’s AIDS Laboratory Activities and worked closely with the Institut Pasteur which isolated HIV. At the time of his retirement from the CDC, Francis was the center’s AIDS Advisor to the State of California. Furthermore, he was also a Special Consultant to Mayor Art Agnos in San Francisco and served as the Chair of the Mayor’s HIV Task Force.

In 1993, Francis joined Genentech, Inc., of South San Francisco to try to develop a vaccine for HIV. In 1995, he and Dr. Robert Nowinski spun off Genentech’s HIV vaccine unit after the company had disappointing results. They founded VaxGen, based in Brisbane, California, to continue working on vaccines. After the vaccine failed in clinical trials, Francis left VaxGen in 2004 to co-found Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases, where he worked as Executive Director and principal investigator.

Don Francis' photo
Francis’ photo

Don Francis Age

He was born on October 24, 1942, in San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States. Francis is 79 years old.

Don Francis Height

He is a man of average stature. Francis stands at a height of 5 ft 8 in (Approx. 1.72 m).

Don Francis Family

Francis was born in the San Francisco Bay Area of California to Cyril Herbrand Chalmers-Francis and Beth Tollan Pinkston. He grew up in Marin County. Francis’ family was full of physicians, like his mother, father, and grandfather. However, he was a poor student as a child and suffered from dyslexia. Francis said that he gravitated towards science because he experienced difficulty with subjects requiring fluent reading ability.

Don Francis Wife

Francis is married to his wife Karen Marie Starko, a doctor who discovered the link between aspirin and Reye’s syndrome in children. The couple has two children William Oliver Starko Francis and Stephen Starko Francis. Francis and Karen live in San Francisco, California.

Don Francis Education

He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley. While there, Francis was a member of the California chapter at Delta Upsilon, class of 1966. Subsequently, he earned his M.D. from Northwestern University and his Doctor of Science in Virology from Harvard. Francis interned at an infectious diseases fellowship at Harvard and residency in pediatrics at the University of California Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Don Francis And The Band Played On

And The Band Played On was produced by HBO in 1993. It is an Emmy-winning movie about the AIDS crisis based on the 1987 book of the same name by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Randy Shilts. Actor Matthew Modine plays Francis, a central figure in the movie. Dr. Robert Gallo, his antagonist portrayed in the film by Alan Alda, the discoverer of HTLV.

He cuts off assistance when he hears that Francis has shared some experimental materials with Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier, the French researchers at the Pasteur Institute who were given the Nobel Prize for their discovery of the HIV virus. This is portrayed in the film by Nathalie Baye and Patrick Bauchau.

Don Francis Net Worth

Francis is an American epidemiologist who has served on the outbreak of different diseases. He has therefore amassed a decent wealth over the years. Francis’ estimated net worth is $10 million.

Is Don Francis Married

Yes. Francis married his wife Karen Marie Starko, a doctor. They have two children and live in San Francisco, California.

How Old Is Don Francis

He was born on October 24, 1942, thus, Francis is 79 years old.

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