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Click Here to read Dr. Yamamoto's Support Letter DR. JANET K. YAMAMOTO. As a pathobiology professor at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine, she co-developed a vaccine for the feline version of HIV – FIV – feline immunodeficiency virus – that may lead to a similar version for human. (Cats and monkeys – but not dogs – have their own versions of human HIV/AIDS). Dr. Yamamoto’s grandfather was the first person to publish Albert Einstein’s works in Japanese – and in return, Einstein sponsored her father to become the first Japanese person to become an American citizen after WW II, so her interest in science is natural. In 1981. Dr. Yamamoto received her Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Texas, and as a researcher at the University of California at Davis, she discovered FIV in 1988, along with fellow professor Niels C. Pederson. Dr. Yamamoto stresses that “just because there are medications on the market to treat HIV/AIDS does not mean there is a cure. Awareness has dropped in the United States and it’s imperative that the public understand that this is not just a foreign issue.” The University of Florida is the main recipient of any profits from the Marathon, principally due to the Foundation’s belief that Dr. Yamamoto’s research with cats could lead to find to finding a vaccine for human HIV/AIDS. Not that she’s all work and no play, in her off time, she enjoys playing baseball and listening to classical music. |