Bonnie Jean Mathieson (May 10, 1945 – January 8, 2018) was an American

biomedical scientist A biomedical scientist is a scientist trained in biology, particularly in the context of medical laboratory sciences or laboratory medicine. These scientists work to gain knowledge on the main principles of how the human body works and to find new ...

and pioneer in HIV vaccine research. Mathieson worked at the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

(NIH) for 43 years. She played a fundamental role in NIH HIV/AIDS research, vaccine programs, and scientific policy.

Early life and education

Mathieson was born May 10, 1945. She was the oldest of seven siblings. They were raised on a farm in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. She completed a Bachelor of Science in botany from

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

in 1967. She researched retrovirology, immunology, and genetics at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

where she completed a master's degree in medical microbiology. In 1975, Mathieson earned a doctor philosophy in biology from the

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in Manhattan in New York City. MSKCC is one of 72 National Cancer Institute– designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Its main campus is ...

and

Weill Cornell Medicine Weill Cornell Medicine (; officially Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University), originally Cornell University Medical College, is the medical school of Cornell University, located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in Ne ...

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Her dissertation was titled ''Selective expression of surface components on differentiated cells of the mouse: immunoselection of Y-bearing sperm in an in vitro fertilization system and expression of the thymocyte surface markers G(IX), TL and LY in tetraparental mice''. She was a post-doctoral researcher and staff fellow at

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, ) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. NIAID's mis ...

(NIAID) where she researched lymphocyte surface markers and T cell subsets from 1975 to 1982.

Career

Mathieson researched T and B lymphocytes at

Basel Institute for Immunology The Basel Institute for Immunology (BII) was founded in 1969 as a basic research institute in immunology located at 487 Grenzacherstrasse, Basel, Switzerland on the Rhine River down the street from the main Hoffmann-La Roche campus near the Swiss-G ...

as a member from 1982 to 1983. From 1983 to 1989, she studied NK cells and T cell subsets as the head of a laboratory in the Biological Response Modifiers Program at the NCI-Frederick. Mathieson served as a program officer in the Vaccine Branch in the Division of AIDS in NIAID from 1989 to 1995. As a program officer, she developed funding opportunity announcements for HIV vaccine, immunology, and pediatric AIDS research. Mathieson is a past chair of the HIV/AIDS Vaccine Coordinating Committee in the Office of AIDS Research (OAR). She was on the WHO-UNAIDS Vaccine Advisory Committee for seven years. Mathieson also served on review boards for the World Health Organization, European Commission, Canada and the Gates Foundation. She published more than 125 articles and chapters. She served as a health scientist administrator in OAR. She was the lead for HIV/AIDS vaccines at OAR and advanced the NIH AIDS vaccine program through supporting vaccine trials and developing a vaccine scholars program designed to train young scientists. Mathieson was an advocate for young people, women, and early-career investigators. Her colleagues knew her as an international leader in the HIV vaccine field and a supporter of research to prevent HIV and improve the health and outcomes of people living with HIV. Mathieson retired from the National Institutes of Health on December 29, 2017. She had a 43 year long career at the NIH.

Awards and honors

Mathieson routinely received performance awards during her tenure at NIH. She won an Alumnus Award from Weill Cornell Medical College.

Personal life

Mathieson was married to Donald and had a daughter and son. She died unexpectedly on January 8, 2018, while snorkeling in

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

when she had a massive heart attack. A memorial service was held at the Woodend. Mathieson was survived by her husband, children, grandchildren, and five siblings. She was preceded in death by one sister.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathieson, Bonnie 1945 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women scientists 20th-century American biologists 21st-century American biologists American women biologists Scientists from Illinois National Institutes of Health people HIV/AIDS researchers Weill Cornell Medical College alumni University of Illinois alumni Stanford University alumni American medical researchers American women medical researchers