Zena A. Stein, MD, BCh

HIV Center Co-Director Emerita

Professor, Epidemiology and Psychiatry, Emerita

Zena A. Stein, MD, BCh, was the Co-Director Emerita of the HIV Center and a Core Affiliate of the Statistics, Epidemiology and Data Core. Previously, she was Professor of Public Health (in the division of Epidemiology and the Sergievsky Center) and of Psychiatry at Columbia University. She was also Associate Dean of Research and Academic Affairs of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Director of the Department of Epidemiology of Brain Disorders at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Her work in the international arena builds on her varied research experience in epidemiology, especially epidemiology of reproductive and developmental disorders, mental health, environmental hazards, and, since the early 1980s HIV infection. Dr. Stein has been a leader both at the HIV Center and worldwide in the movement to provide women with methods for protection against transmission of HIV that are under their control (e.g., vaginal microbicides and the female condom).

With her involvement, grants on HIV infection and AIDS in the international arena have been funded for study of HIV/AIDS prevention and infection in Thailand, Uganda, and South Africa. She was the Principal Investigator of a training grant funded by the Fogarty Center that is focused on epidemiology related to AIDS in South Africa. Dr. Stein has consulted frequently for international organizations such as WHO and UNICEF and has served on the study sections of NIMH, NIEHS, NIOSH, NICHD, and on several committees of the National Academy of Sciences. She was also the Principal Investigator of the NIMH funded training grant, Behavioral Research in HIV Infection, in the HIV Center and Department of Psychology at Columbia University.

EDUCATION

University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
BA - 1941 - History
MA - 1942 - History

University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
MB, BCh - 1950 - Medicine

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

1959-1962: Senior Research Fellow, Mental Health Research Fund in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, England

1962-1965: Research Fellow, Medical Research Council, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, England

1966-1973: Associate Professor (Epidemiology), Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, NY

1968-1998: Director, Epidemiology of Brain Disorders Research Department, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY

1973-1996: Professor of Public Health (Epidemiology), Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, NY

1977-1996: Professor of Public Health (Epidemiology), Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, NY

1986-1991: Associate Dean, Research and Academic Affairs, Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, NY

1987-2002: Co-Director, HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY

1991-1996: Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY

1993-1995: Acting Chair, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, NY

1996-present: Professor Emerita, Psychiatry and Public Health, (Epidemiology), Columbia University, New York, NY

2003-present: Co-Director Emerita, HIV Center for Clinical & Behavioral Studies, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY

HONORS AND AWARDS

1988: Honorary Fellow, Peruvian Association of Psychiatrists

1992: Wade Hampton Frost Award and Lecture, American Public Health Association

1993: Doctor of Science in Medicine (honoris causa), University of Witwaterstrand, Johannesburg, South Africa

1994: College of Physicians and Surgeons Distinguished Service Award, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University

1997: 75th Jubilee Medal, University of Witwatersrand Medical School, Johannesburg, South Africa

1999: Senior Member, Institute of Medicine
John Snow Award, American Public Health Association
Honorary Professor, Escuela Nacional de Sanidad (The National School of Public Health of Spain), Madrid, Spain

2001: "Turning the World Around." Symposium in honor of Mervyn Susser and Zena Stein. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Celebration. Zena Stein, Mervyn Susser and epidemiology: Observation, causation and action. Int J Epidemiol 2002;31:34
Special Award "Tribute to Zena Stein," International Conference on Microbicides Organizing Committee, Antwerp, Belgium
Africa Center for Health and Population Studies, Hlabisa, KwaZulu, South Africa
Auditorium dedicated to Professors Mervyn Susser and Zena Stein

2003: Voices: A conversation with Zena Stein by Allen Wilcox. Epidemiology, 14:498-502, 2003

2004: Dedication of auditorium to Mervyn Susser and Zena Stein, University of KwaZulu Natal Medical School, Durban, South Africa

2007: University of Kwa Zulu Natal, Durban, South Africa. Symposium on HIV/AIDS dedicated to the contributions of Meryn Susser and Zena Stein.