William Sidney Robinson's Obituary
William Sidney Robinson, MD, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, and renowned virologist, passed away peacefully on March 19, 2023, at the age of 89. Dr. Robinson was a leading figure in the field of virology, and his laboratory was the first to isolate the genome of the hepatitis B virus.
William, nicknamed “Bill”, was born in Bloomington, Indiana. He was a Cub Scout and Boy Scout, reaching the rank of Eagle Scout. He ran track and cross country in high school, and his team placed 2nd in the Indiana State Championship meet. He was an avid runner, cyclist, and outdoor adventurer, climbing peaks including Denali in Alaska, Gangapurna in Nepal, and Mont Blanc in France. He shared his love for the outdoors with his family, with frequent backpacking trips in Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada mountains, various canoeing and rock-climbing adventures, and regular ski trips throughout the US. In addition to his love for the mountains and the outdoors, he loved redwood trees, chocolate, spicy food, French onion soup, and Zinfandel. His appreciation for poetry was only surpassed by his enjoyment of music by Beethoven and Mozart. He was continuously reading multiple books in parallel, with favorite genres including science, religion, American history, and politics.
He graduated from Indiana University undergraduate school and University of Chicago School of Medicine. As Professor in the Department of Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, he carried out research on viruses where his laboratory was the first to isolate the hepatitis B genome. He pioneered measurement of hepatitis B virus genomic DNA and DNA polymerase as markers to quantify virus in patient blood, giving rise to “viral load” markers that are widely used to assess virus infection and anti-viral therapy. He further helped define the mechanisms by which hepatitis B virus can cause development of liver cancer. He pioneered clinical testing of interferon as a treatment for chronic hepatitis B, which has the highest cure rate among all current standards of care.
Dr. Robinson was a prolific researcher and published over 200 scientific manuscripts on hepatitis B virus, HIV, influenza and other viruses in top medical journals. His contributions were instrumental in the development of new treatments for hepatitis B, including antiviral therapies and vaccines. His work contributed to the recognition of hepatitis B as a major global health threat and helped to shape the public health response to the disease.
In addition to his research, Dr. Robinson was a gifted teacher and mentor to generations of medical students and infectious disease specialists. He was known for his passion for his work, and he inspired countless others to follow in his footsteps. He was appointed an Honorary Professor at Hunan Medical University and Chongqing Medical University and was also a co-founder of several biotech companies. He was an active member of the viral hepatitis community, serving on numerous advisory boards and committees and founding a Winter Infectious Disease conference, all with the goal of advancing the understanding and treatment of hepatitis B and other viral diseases.
Dr. Robinson was highly devoted to and is survived by his wife, Keting; his children, William, Allen, Thomas, and Sophie; his five grandchildren; and his sister Jean. He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and colleagues, but his legacy will live on through the countless lives he touched and the progress he made in the fight against hepatitis B virus.
A memorial service is scheduled for April 12th at Skylawn Funeral Home in San Mateo, CA.
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