Josiah F. Wedgwood (1950-2009)

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To the Editor: With the death of Josiah F. Wedgwood on November 27, 2009, the primary immunodeficiency (PID) and autoimmunity research communities lost a strong advocate and a dear friend. Josiah received a Bachelors of Arts magna cum laude, 1971, and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1978, from Harvard University. He earned an MD from George Washington University School of Medicine in 1980 and trained in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases at New York Hospital/Cornell University Medical Center and in neonatology/perinatology at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. From 1991 to 1998, he was an assistant professor of Pediatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. From 1998 until 2002, Josiah served as director of Newborn Services, Hospital of Saint Raphael at Yale Medical School. Josiah was the primary author of more than 25 journal articles and 5 book chapters in neonatology, immunology, and pediatric infectious diseases.

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• Josiah F. Wedgwood. Photograph courtesy of Ralph Wedgwood.

For his doctoral degree, Josiah did marvelous research with Jack Strominger on the process of N-linked glycosylation. His contemporaries recall that Josiah knew everyone and everything, particularly in organic chemistry and classical biochemistry. He was a generous colleague who preferred to discuss everyone else's work rather than his own. He became a skilled clinician with a strong commitment to ill children and the research that would lead to advances on their behalf. He realized that he could better serve these causes as a program director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in 2002, he joined the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as Chief of the Immunodeficiency and Immunopathology Section in the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation. Josiah was a steadfast proponent for research in PID, the driving force behind the establishment of the US Immunodeficiency Network, and an active member of the International Union of Immunological Societies Expert Committee on PID. He was an institute representative to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence and an advocate for patients and researchers alike, working with intelligence and humor to promote numerous clinical trials in autoimmune disease. As chair of the trans-NIH Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee, Josiah worked closely with representatives of more than 30 federal agencies, private research foundations, and patient advocacy groups. In his interactions with lay advocates and investigators, he displayed grace, patience, and a focus on significance and achievement. As a program officer, Josiah was an insightful strategist and was always available to advise grantees and applicants. He took genuine interest in our work, encouraged us when things looked grim, and celebrated our successes. He handled our anxieties with charm and wit because he loved and understood both the science and the scientists.

Josiah is survived by his wife, Ruth Wedgwood, Burling Professor of International Law at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies; his 11-year-old son, Josiah, who accompanied him to the International Union of Immunological Societies conference in Dublin this past June; brothers Jeffrey and John; and his parents, Ralph Wedgewood, emeritus professor at the University of Washington, Seattle, and Ginny. Josiah balanced his professional responsibilities with his family obligations, and all who worked with him were impressed by his commitment to his son and their great pleasure in being together.

Josiah's many achievements will be remembered by his colleagues at the NIH and by the scientific and patient communities he enthusiastically served. We will sorely miss his commitment, wisdom, gentle humor, and friendship.