In memoriam – Dr. Makonnen Fekadu

Members of the rabies community were saddened to hear of the death of Dr. Makonnen Fekadu, who passed away on January 4, 2016 at his home in Atlanta, GA at the age of 84. Dr. Fekadu, a native of Ethiopia, is best known for his work in rabies research at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US and his public health efforts at the World Health Organization and the Clinton Foundation.

After his training and education in Denmark and Sweden, Dr. Fekadu began his career in Ethiopia as a microbiology professor and director of the Imperial Laboratory and Research Institute (Pasteur Institute, Addis Ababa). He later left Ethiopia to join the CDC in 1979 to pursue a laboratory research program that focused on the rabies virus. His projects included challenging topics such as: understanding abortive rabies infections in animals, exploring the effects of the virus on the body, developing models of long-tern carrier states in animals, evaluating new rabies diagnostics, and expanding studies in oral vaccination. In addition to pursuing his bench work, he also worked as the CDC acting branch chief for rabies for one year, providing leadership and guidance to the rabies research community.

Dr. Fekadu was not only an accomplished scientist and researcher, but he is also fondly remembered as a supportive and compassionate colleague, who was well known for his persistence and attention to detail, as well as for his good sense of humor and the encouragement he gave others. Both the past and present executive directors at GARC worked alongside him, and Dr. Fekadu willingly shared his expertise and knowledge of zoonotic disease with them, providing support for their research. Former GARC Executive Director, Dr. Deborah Briggs, knew Dr. Fekadu at CDC and during her years starting up a rabies research program at Kansas State University. She shared that “Dr. Fekadu was a great source of information, and he was always available for a quick phone call when I needed answers.” Dr. Louis Nel, current GARC Executive Director, remarked that he was “a pleasant and interesting man, who was willing to share his expertise in the field of rabies prevention.”

His dedication to the field of rabies research and prevention arose from experiences in his early career in Ethiopia, where he personally faced what it was like for communities to live with the risk of contracting rabies on a daily basis. Dr. Fekadu will be remembered and missed by many of his colleagues in the rabies research community, and our sympathies and condolences are with his family during this difficult time. A personal obituary is available online through the following link.

Contributed by Laura Baker, GARC newsletter co-editor and based on a memorial tribute prepared by the CDC.