- Richard Root
Richard K. Root (
1 December 1937 –March 19 ,2006 ) was a clinical teacher at theUniversity of Washington Medical Center and former chief of medicine atHarborview Medical Center inSeattle , Washington. He launched the infectious disease division at theUniversity of Pennsylvania while a professor there in 1971.After leaving the
University of Pennsylvania , Root worked on infectious diseases atYale University and served as vice chairman of medicine. In 1982 he was voted medical school teacher of the year. He subsequently became the Chief of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, where he was much admired by the residents and faculty as an academic leader, scholar, and teacher. He later became chief of medicine at Harborview 1991 and became anemeritus professor in 2002. He was a former president of theAmerican Federation of Clinical Research , editor in chief of a textbook, "Clinical Infectious Diseases," and, from 1986 to 1991, director of theNational Institutes of Health 's AIDS Advisory Committee.Root received his MD from
Johns Hopkins University in 1963. Residency and Internal Medicine atMassachusetts General Hospital from 1963-1965. Chief Resident and Instructor in the Department of Medicine at theUniversity of Washington from 1968-1969.He moved to
Botswana on25 February 2006 for two months to help alleviate Africa's shortage of doctors and nurses. His life came to a sudden end three weeks later, from a crocodile attack while on a wildlife tour of theLimpopo River . He was in the lead dugout canoe when a 13-footcrocodile followed his canoe and tipped it over. It then leapt out of the water, grabbed Root by his neck and shoulders and drowned him. Parts of his body were found two days later. The crocodile which ended Root's life was never found.References
*cite journal| first=Tom| last=Paulson| url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/263742_drroot21.html| title=Top UW doctor killed by crocodile in Africa| journal=
Seattle Post-Intelligencer | month=21 March| year=2006
* [http://depts.washington.edu/daid/faculty/root.htm Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases] — Info on Richard Root at the University of Washington
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.