Rohan Hazra '84: Distinguished Alumnus
Rohan Hazra is an acclaimed scholar and respected physician who is devoted to helping children stricken with HIV lead happy, productive lives. His credentials for such a humanitarian endeavor are impeccable.
He graduated cum laude in biology from Yale and earned his M.D. from Johns Hopkins. He completed his residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital in Boston and a postdoctoral research fellowship in pediatric infectious disease at the Harvard Medical School. He’s a clinical investigator in the HIV and AIDS malignancy branch of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.
He graduated cum laude in biology from Yale and earned his M.D. from Johns Hopkins. He completed his residency in pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital in Boston and a postdoctoral research fellowship in pediatric infectious disease at the Harvard Medical School. He’s a clinical investigator in the HIV and AIDS malignancy branch of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.
At the National Cancer Institute, an organization within the NIH, he
chairs the Institutional Review Board which ensures that proposed
clinical research is conducted in an ethical manner.
He’s published numerous papers about his team’s cutting-edge experimental therapies and received a host of honors.
He’s traveled to developing countries to share his depth of expertise with physicians whose mission, albeit without the tangible resources, mirrors his.
Today, though, the 1984 Collegiate graduate with the easy manner and glowing smile is taking a break.
With Dr. Monika Woods, his wife of 10 ½ years, and their daughters Nina (8) and Mia (6), he’s back in Richmond to receive his alma mater’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
“I’m awed,” he said. “This is very special.
“Succeeding is having the right mentors.
“What I’ve been able to do, through my upbringing at home and at Collegiate, is like the Isaac Newton quote, ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’”
The son of physicians, Hazra grew up on Tarrytown Drive just a short walk from campus.
All these years later, he’s very much the same guy who brought an uncommon intellect and drive to the classroom but enjoyed playing stickball on the blacktop, extolling the virtues of the Baltimore Orioles, and simply hanging out with his friends.
“When I think of Rohan,” said Ann Griffin, his biology teacher and mentor, “I think of excellence.
“I also think of sitting in the sunshine, just talking, on that brick wall outside the library when he was a student.
“It’s always been a pleasure to be with him.
“He’s the same friend he was when he walked the halls at Collegiate.”
Hazra was also quite a soccer player, a two-season captain, an All-Prep League midfielder as a junior, and a consummate team player always.
“Rohan was one of the most respected students I remember,” said Charlie Blair, another of his mentors and the soccer coach then and now.
“Everyone looked up to him. He was so bright, but he was also such a thoughtful, decent person.”
Yes, thoughtful and decent.
And kind, compassionate, humble, dedicated, and passionate about his calling.
Those attributes, instilled by his parents Meena and Tapan, have served him well as he has worked diligently with his colleagues to develop strategies to ease the suffering of children dealing with the scourge of HIV.
“We’re involved with research to make sure they can survive with HIV and the toxicity of the treatment,” he explained.
“In the process, we’ve converted it from a death sentence to a chronic disease.
“Cure isn’t the right word, unfortunately.
“What drives me is for the kids to become adults who can lead the lives they would have led had they not had the HIV infection.”
Hazra’s travels have taken him to areas in the Caribbean, Latin America, and India – the country of his parents’ birth – where AIDS is rampant and treatment options still limited.
“How do we take the huge successes here and translate them to other parts of the world?” he said.
“It’s a major effort.
“It’s so satisfying, though, to be able to use what I’ve learned and feel I’m making a contribution toward ameliorating this disease and in some small way impacting the staggering burden that it’s wrought.”—Weldon Bradshaw
Back
He’s published numerous papers about his team’s cutting-edge experimental therapies and received a host of honors.
He’s traveled to developing countries to share his depth of expertise with physicians whose mission, albeit without the tangible resources, mirrors his.
Today, though, the 1984 Collegiate graduate with the easy manner and glowing smile is taking a break.
With Dr. Monika Woods, his wife of 10 ½ years, and their daughters Nina (8) and Mia (6), he’s back in Richmond to receive his alma mater’s Distinguished Alumni Award.
“I’m awed,” he said. “This is very special.
“Succeeding is having the right mentors.
“What I’ve been able to do, through my upbringing at home and at Collegiate, is like the Isaac Newton quote, ‘If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.’”
The son of physicians, Hazra grew up on Tarrytown Drive just a short walk from campus.
All these years later, he’s very much the same guy who brought an uncommon intellect and drive to the classroom but enjoyed playing stickball on the blacktop, extolling the virtues of the Baltimore Orioles, and simply hanging out with his friends.
“When I think of Rohan,” said Ann Griffin, his biology teacher and mentor, “I think of excellence.
“I also think of sitting in the sunshine, just talking, on that brick wall outside the library when he was a student.
“It’s always been a pleasure to be with him.
“He’s the same friend he was when he walked the halls at Collegiate.”
Hazra was also quite a soccer player, a two-season captain, an All-Prep League midfielder as a junior, and a consummate team player always.
“Rohan was one of the most respected students I remember,” said Charlie Blair, another of his mentors and the soccer coach then and now.
“Everyone looked up to him. He was so bright, but he was also such a thoughtful, decent person.”
Yes, thoughtful and decent.
And kind, compassionate, humble, dedicated, and passionate about his calling.
Those attributes, instilled by his parents Meena and Tapan, have served him well as he has worked diligently with his colleagues to develop strategies to ease the suffering of children dealing with the scourge of HIV.
“We’re involved with research to make sure they can survive with HIV and the toxicity of the treatment,” he explained.
“In the process, we’ve converted it from a death sentence to a chronic disease.
“Cure isn’t the right word, unfortunately.
“What drives me is for the kids to become adults who can lead the lives they would have led had they not had the HIV infection.”
Hazra’s travels have taken him to areas in the Caribbean, Latin America, and India – the country of his parents’ birth – where AIDS is rampant and treatment options still limited.
“How do we take the huge successes here and translate them to other parts of the world?” he said.
“It’s a major effort.
“It’s so satisfying, though, to be able to use what I’ve learned and feel I’m making a contribution toward ameliorating this disease and in some small way impacting the staggering burden that it’s wrought.”—Weldon Bradshaw
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