Dr. Paula Moynahan Presents Dr. Robert C. Gallo with Honorary Degree at College of Mount Saint Vincent

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Drs. Moynahan and Gallo

RIVERDALE, NY (06/14/2011)(readMedia)-- Pioneering HIV researcher Dr. Robert Charles Gallo addressed nearly 350 graduates, their families and friends at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 21, 2011 on the Great Lawn of the College's Riverdale campus.

Dr. Gallo received an honorary doctorate of science degree in honor of his contributions in the field of AIDS research as part of the ceremony, which will be presented by CMSV alumna and renowned surgeon Dr. Paula Moynahan '64, who is affiliated with the following hospitals: Lenox Hill Hospital, New York, N.Y.; Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Conn.; and St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, Conn.

In 1984, Robert C. Gallo, M.D. co-discovered the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to be the cause of AIDS. Little was known then of the illness that was fast becoming the deadliest epidemic in medical history. Dr. Gallo has spent the past two decades trying to solve one of humanity's greatest scientific challenges.

Though best known for his co-discovery of HIV, Dr. Gallo and his team in the early 1980s also pioneered the development of the HIV blood test, which enabled health care workers for the first time to screen for the AIDS virus, leading to a more rapid diagnosis while simultaneously protecting patients receiving blood transfusions. His research also helped physicians develop HIV therapies to prolong the lives of those infected with the virus.

His discovery in 1996 that a natural compound known as chemokines can block the HIV virus and halt the progression of AIDS was hailed by Science magazine as one of the year's most important scientific breakthroughs. Before the AIDS epidemic, Dr. Gallo was the first to identify a human retrovirus and the only known human leukemia virus - HTLV - one of few known viruses shown to cause a human cancer.

Today, Dr. Gallo's work continues at the Institute of Human Virology, an institute of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, which Dr. Gallo helped found in 1996. He previously spent 30 years at the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute, where he was head of its Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology.

About the College of Mount Saint Vincent

Founded in 1847, the College of Mount Saint Vincent is a co-educational, independent institution rooted in the spirit and mission of the Sisters of Charity and committed to the liberal arts. The College's undergraduate and master's level degree programs prepare its uncommonly diverse students for lives of professional achievement and service. Visit www.mountsaintvincent.edu for more information.