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April 22, 2005|Volume 33, Number 27|Two-Week Issue


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Dr. Alvin Novick



In Memoriam: Biologist Dr. Alvin Novick

Noted advocate for people with AIDS

Dr. Alvin Novick, physician, biologist, longtime Yale professor and expert on HIV/AIDS, died of prostate cancer on April 10 in New Haven.

He was 79 years old.

Novick, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, taught biology at Yale for 48 years. Much of his early professional career was devoted to sensory physiology. He was a world-renowned expert on bat echolocation, and author of "The World of Bats" and the current Encyclopedia Britannica's article on bats. His research on bat sonar navigation was used by the U.S. military for improvements in radar technologies.

In 1982, Novick shifted the focus of his work to the ethical, public policy and community development aspects of the AIDS crisis. In that role, he served as a leader of the gay/lesbian medical community (including as president of what is now the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association), editor of the AIDS & Public Policy Journal, and consultant to numerous federal agencies. He served as chair of the New Haven Mayor's Task Force on AIDS, and he was a founder of AIDS Project New Haven and a board member of Leeway, Connecticut's first and only skilled nursing home dedicated solely to the treatment of people living with AIDS. He also helped found the New Haven Needle Exchange Program.

Dr. Michael Merson, former dean of the School of Medicine's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, notes: "In the mid-1980s, when there was great fear of the disease and discrimination and stigmatization was rampant, Al Novick was an early, passionate and brave advocate for those infected with or at risk for HIV. At his urging, then-Mayor of New Haven Biagio DiLieto created the Mayor's Task Force on AIDS, and it was this task force, under Al's leadership, that went on to advocate successfully for one of the most effective HIV prevention interventions for drug users known, then or now -- needle exchange."

Current New Haven Mayor John DeStefano describes Novick as "the voice of those most stigmatized by the epidemic -- injection drug users whose lives could be saved by needle exchange programs, people of color, or fellow physicians with HIV who were being denied the right to practice medicine. He had an extraordinary capacity to be direct with public officials about their ethical and programmatic shortcomings, always expressed in the context of sound science and good public health."

For his work on AIDS, Novick was honored by the National AIDS Network, the Swedish Red Cross, the Connecticut Department of Health Services, the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights and the Stewart B. McKinney Foundation. He also received an Underground Hero Award from the PWA Health Group in New York City and the first annual Gay Achievement Award of Beth Israel Hospital in Boston.

During World War II, Novick was a rifleman in the U.S. Army and a prisoner of war in Germany. After the war, he attended Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, earning bachelor's, medical and doctoral degrees. He did his residency at Beth Israel Hospital and was a teaching fellow in biology at Harvard 1953-1957. He came to Yale in 1957 as instructor, and rose through the ranks, becoming a full professor in the Department of Biology in 1983. He joined the newly established Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology in 1996.

Novick remained actively teaching at Yale until shortly before his death. He taught a popular undergraduate course on "AIDS and Society" and was director of the Law, Policy and Ethics Core of Yale's Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS.

In addition to his science and policy work, Novick was a dedicated horticulturist with a special affinity for dwarf conifer and Japanese maple trees. He was a certified dog show judge by the American Kennel Club and was a lifelong breeder of Shi Zsu, Cairn Terriers and French Bulldogs.

"I think everyone who knew Al recognized his interest and love of all living things," says Frank Ruddle, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, and former chair of the Department of Biology. "This was reflected in all his contributions. Not the least were his avocations as dog breeder, handler, show judge and gardener. He did all these things, as he did others, at the professional level."

Novick was predeceased by his life partner Bill Sabella and his sister, Rosalyn. He is survived by Dr. Fredrick L. Altice, associate professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, as well as several close friends and students.

In lieu of flowers, Novick asked that donations in his honor be made to: AIDS Project New Haven, 1302 Chapel St., New Haven, CT 06511; AIDS Interfaith Network, 1303 Chapel St., New Haven, CT 06511; or Hispanos Unidos, 116 Sherman Ave., New Haven, CT 06511. A memorial service will be held later this spring in one of his many gardens.


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Event honors former Yale chaplain's ministry, activism

Thomas C. Duffy chosen to serve as interim dean of the School of Music

Link between stress, insomnia and obesity shown

Event explores unique singing tradition shared by disparate groups

Conference explores historic impact of global quest for oil

Unbiased reporting is not always noble, CNN journalist says

Veteran coach with over 400 wins to head women's basketball

Symposium honors chemist's '30 years in the trenches'

The drama school stages 'The Real Thing' . . .

Yale honors 116 staff members at Long-Service Recognition Dinner

Juniors honored for their scholarship, contributions

IN MEMORIAM

Student's portraits celebrate 350 years of Jewish history

Medical school pediatricians will provide free asthma screenings . . .

Programs highlight native and invasive flora of New England

Campus Notes

All our yesterdays


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