CSR’s Bengali Mourned
Dr. Zakir Hussain Bengali, former chief of the biochemical sciences review group at NIH’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR), passed away on November 28, 2024. Bengali had served at NIH in various capacities for nearly 30 years. He was 84 years old.
Bengali was born in Mumbai, India. He earned his master’s degree in microbiology from the University of Mumbai. He then moved to the U.S. and enrolled in a graduate program in biology at the University of Rochester, NY and received his Ph.D. in 1974.
He and his wife, Kathleen, moved to Maryland, where Bengali pursued a Fogarty Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute. They bought and renovated an old house in rural Frederick, where he lived for the rest of his life. He joined the health science administration and served in various capacities at NIH. His most extended service was at CSR, where he was first a scientific review administrator (SRO) and later promoted to chief of the Biochemical Sciences Review Group.
As an SRO, Bengali conceived and helped design an electronic review program named DART to facilitate the grant review process, including searching for the most qualified reviewers and preparing summary statements for applicants. This system remained in use for some years until more sophisticated versions superseded it. Begali was recognized for his valuable contribution with a Director’s Award.
After retiring from NIH, Begali became the vice president of research at Shriners Hospital in Tampa, Fla. Returning home to Frederick, he became interested in education and was elected in 2012 to serve for four years on the Frederick County Board of Education.
Bengali had multiple interests besides science. He loved classical music and attended operas and music festivals. He made many friends, transcending ethnic, religious and national boundaries. He was a longstanding member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregations of Frederick, where he once served as president.
For the last 15 years, Bengali battled various health issues that progressively limited his physical movements, but his cognitive faculties remained unimpaired. He spent his last months in an assisted living facility in Frederick but continued to be interested in socializing with other people. He delivered talks on history for residents of the facility and showed movies.
The end came unexpectedly and suddenly on Thanksgiving Day. A memorial service is planned for sometime in the spring.
Bengali is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.