The Task Force mourns the loss of our dear friend, colleague and vaccine visionary, Dr. Alan Hinman, who spent more than 50 years advocating for a vision of a world without vaccine-preventable diseases.
Dr. Alan Hinman at The Task Force for Global Health. Photo courtesy of The Task Force for Global Health.
The Task Force mourns the loss of our dear friend, colleague, mentor and vaccine visionary, Dr. Alan Hinman, who passed away on January 26 at the age of 88.
“He has been the ‘turn to’ person on global immunization-related issues especially since joining the Task Force on Global Health in 1996” said former Task Force Board Member and vaccine expert Dr. Walter Orenstein. “The world is a better place today because Professor Hinman has served the world. Dr. Hinman was my supervisor and mentor for 13 years of my career and convinced me to make a career in vaccinology.”
Dr. Hinman worked with and at The Task Force for thirty years, making tremendous contributions both as an advisor, during his full-time tenure, and even after he officially retired in 2017. He served as a Senior Advisor to the Center for Vaccine Excellence (CVE) and as a consultant to multiple Task Force programs, including the Health Campaign Effectiveness Coalition (HCE) and the Public Health Informatics Institute.
“It was Alan’s vision and passion for creating CVE that convinced me to join the Task Force,” said former Director of CVE, Dr. Mark McKinlay. “Together we were able to build the incredible CVE team that exists today. Alan had the knowledge, connections and vision that made it all possible.”
Alan was also founding member of the Voices for Vaccines program, served as a Strategic Advisory and Steering Group member for the Partnership for International Vaccine Initiatives and Voices for Vaccines, respectively, and as a member and chair of the National Sustainability Committee for the Elimination of Measles, Rubella and Congenital Rubella Syndrome.
“Alan’s commitment to science and truth was only matched by his deep commitment to the people in his life and his community” said Karen Ernst, Director of the Voices for Vaccines program. “He was the perfect combination of kindness and intelligence.”
“Dr. Hinman was unquestionably one of the most determined, impactful public health leaders of the past half-century,” said Dr. O’Carroll, President and CEO of The Task Force for Global Health. “Alan tirelessly applied his incisive intellect, deep scientific knowledge, and broad experience to helping people across the globe benefit from one of the most consequential measures ever developed to protect human health: vaccination.”
It was Dr. Hinman’s experience as an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer in the 1960s that set the stage for his career in public health. He spent more than 50 years working in public health and devoted his career working for a vision of a world without vaccine-preventable diseases, including more than 25 years teaching the next generation of health heroes at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. He was involved in public health programs at state, national, and international levels, primarily working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In 1977, Dr. Hinman became Director of CDC’s Immunization Division, in which position he served until 1988. He then served as Director of CDC’s National Center for Prevention Services from 1988 to 1995. He also worked for the State Health Departments of New York and Tennessee.
After rising to the rank of Assistant Surgeon General, Hinman retired from the U.S. Public Health Service and joined the Advisory Group of The Task Force for Global Health in 1996. One of his earliest projects at The Task Force, called All Kids Count, evolved into what is now the Public Health Informatics Institute.
“Alan was not only an exceptional public health scientist but he was also an exceptional mentor and good friend,” said HCE Director Dr. Kristin Saarlas. “I had the privilege of working with him for more than a decade during my early career with All Kids Count where he helped shape the vision for immunization and child health information systems. He was an excellent and often ruthless writing and speaking coach. Although the legendary orange pen edits could feel overwhelming at first, his advice was always well meant and led me to be a much stronger writer.”
During the Carter administration, Dr. Hinman was instrumental in advancing the first Presidential Initiative on Immunization, which helped encourage U.S. states to execute and enforce school immunization mandates which led to historic declines in vaccine-preventable diseases in the U.S.
In 1987, Dr. Hinman along with Dr. Ciro de Quadros and Task Force Founder Dr. Bill Foege co-authored an article published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization entitled “The Case for Global Eradication of Poliomyelitis,” which made compelling arguments that led the World Health Assembly to endorse global polio eradication in 1988. Since 1988, the incidence of polio has been reduced by more than 99%.
In 1998, Dr. Hinman helped establish the now quarterly Vaccine Dinner Club, an international science club to “advance the practice of vaccine science and have a really good time at the meetings.”
In 2020, Dr. Hinman helped launch The Task Force HCE Coalition where his convening and consensus-building skills were greatly valued.
“Our team was so fortunate to have his support and camaraderie,” said Dr. Saarlas. “We are all better leaders as a result, carrying forward his vision for public health and his demand for excellence.”
Dr. Hinman has authored or co-authored more than 400 publications and has served on the Board of Gavi and the Vaccine Alliance, as well as chairing a WHO Advisory Committee.
When Dr. Hinman won the Dr. Charles Mérieux Award from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, The Task Force did this feature on him.
Read more about Dr. Hinman and his storied career on this podcast by the Public Health Informatics Institute commemorating his retirement in 2017 and watch his 2021 interview on the Health Campaign Effectiveness Coalition’s website.
We will always remember Dr. Hinman for his smile, heartwarming stories, his incredible command of public health history, and–most of all–his tireless dedication to creating a healthier world for all.
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