 | Brandon Brei |
There will be a memorial mass on Saturday, April 5, for Brandon Brei, age 26, the Yale graduate student who drowned off the coast near San Juan, Puerto Rico, on March 22 while trying to save the life of a fellow student.
On that day, Mr. Brei and four other students were swimming close to shore when the waters became rough. He was attempting to rescue another swimmer, who was caught in a strong undertow and who survived.
A predoctoral student in the Biology and Biological Sciences Program, Mr. Brei worked in the laboratory of Durland Fish, professor of epidemiology. He was in San Juan with Fish and nine students from the Graduate School and the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH) to receive training in dengue fever at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) laboratories. On this trip, Mr. Brei presented the results of his doctoral research to the CDC staff.
In an interview with the Yale Daily News, Fish and the EPH students described Mr. Brei's generosity, his sense of humor and the great affection he showed for his family and friends. They noted that even in his last moments, Mr. Brei demonstrated one of his finest qualities: thinking of others first.
Mr. Brei was Fish's first graduate student and was the first student awarded a fellowship with EPH's new CDC Training Program in Vector-Borne Diseases.
"Brandon was every mentor's dream. He worked independently and never failed to produce exceptional results," Fish said. "His six publications, including one in Science so early in his graduate training, are testimony to his potential as an accomplished scientist. This is a great loss to his field."
Brandon Brei grew up in Orange, Connecticut with his parents, James and Noel, and younger sisters, Michelle and Amanda. He graduated from Amity High School in 1995 and for a year studied chemistry at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he earned the highest first-year Grade Point Average in his company and was ranked number-one for leadership potential by his platoon leader. He then enrolled at the University of Massachusetts with a double major in biology and entomology, receiving his Bachelor of Science summa cum laude. He was accepted to the Ph.D. program in microbiology at Yale in 1999. After his first semester here, Mr. Brei spent a year as a Fulbright Fellow in Brisbane, Australia.
Mr. Brei's overall research interest focused on the ecology of vector-borne spirochetes, including the Lyme disease spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, and a recently discovered relapsing fever group Borrelia. The primary aim was to determine how these tick-borne Borrelia populations are maintained in nature. This research provided valuable information about the ecology of pathogens and could lead to the development of more efficient strategies for the control of vector-borne disease.
Mr. Brei's fellow students have created a web page tribute to him at http://info.med.yale.edu/eph/brandon/.
The memorial mass for Brandon Brei will take place at noon on April 5 at St. Thomas More Chapel, 268 Park St. A reception will follow in the chapel hall.
The family requests that contributions in his memory be made to the Brandon Brei Memorial Fund for Field Research in Vector-Borne Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, Suite 211, 100 Church St. South, New Haven, CT 06519. This fund will provide future graduate students with opportunities for experiencing the kind of field research that Mr. Brei enjoyed.
For further information about the memorial service, call (203) 777-5537; other inquiries may be directed to the Office of the Dean of Public Health at (203) 785-2867.
T H I S
Graduate student Brandon Brei
drowns off Puerto Rico coast
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Campus begins dialogue on U.S. war in Iraq
Campus events to tackle important international issuesReviving aspirations for Israeli-Palestinian peace
Probing psychology of genocide and terrorism
Post-9/11 policies on refugees in U.S., Canada
In Focus: Model United Nations Team at Yale
Experts consider U.S.-Iraq war's effect on global relations
Brown University president to visit as Chubb Fellow
University will celebrate campus' diversity . . .
Conference, concerts celebrate library's acquisition . . .
Pioneering physicist and Sterling Professor Vernon Hughes dies
Graduate student Brandon Brei drowns off Puerto Rico coast
Conference to explore cultural transition in post-Soviet Russia
Event to examine debate over urban development
Symposium to assess role of emotions in 'Americas and Beyond'
Yale Opera to perform Scarlatti's 'Il Trionfo dell'onore'
Ephemera of everyday life featured in 'Passages'
Event explores new technique for televising musical performances
Forum showcases students' anthropological research
In the spirit of Leonardo da Vinci
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|Calendar of Events|In the News
Bulletin Board|Yale Scoreboard|Classified Ads|Search Archives|Deadlines
Bulletin Staff|Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page