Remembering NIMHD’s Desai

Dr. Seema Desai

Dr. Seema N. Desai, who died suddenly in April 2024, was a program director in the Division of Integrative Biological and Behavioral Sciences (DIBBS) in the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). She was an immunologist, microbiologist and HIV research scientist with multidisciplinary minority health research experience, widely recognized for her scientific contributions in these areas.

Desai received her master’s degree and a Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Mumbai and studied innate immunity in HIV-infected children and adolescents during her postdoctoral training at the University of Miami-Miller School of Medicine in Florida. Her experience spanned pediatric to geriatric research: basic, bio-behavioral, clinical and translational. Her research focused on racial and ethnic disparities among people living with HIV; stress and depression; HIV and addiction; HIV and HIV/hepatitis C virus pathogenesis; HIV, aging and end-organ diseases; and HIV and women’s health.

She was an investigator for various NIH-funded studies, served on journal editorial boards, and earned numerous accolades throughout her career, including several prestigious national and international scholarships and awards.

Desai’s career in science was influenced early in life, growing up in India with her mother, a nurse, and her father, a medical photographer, at King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. Her keen interest in science and research translated into her academic successes and gratifying career trajectory.

Before joining NIMHD in December 2022, Desai was an instructor and assistant professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She led a NIMHD-funded P20 center award on early senescence in HIV among African Americans living with HIV. She also led laboratory research and studies in various epidemiological cohorts, including the Southern HIV and Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC), the Rush Center of Excellence on Disparities in HIV and Aging (CEDHA) and the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS), now the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS)/WIHS combined cohort study.

Desai’s colleagues at NIMHD remember her as a positive and compassionate person. “She was a wonderful, cheerful, friendly and caring team member,” said Dr. Rina Das, director of DIBBS. “We will miss her dearly.”

Desai was also a great cook and enjoyed making various dishes and bringing them to work to share communally and build bonds. Most recently, before her passing, she was very active during an NIMHD staff volunteer event at The Children’s Inn at NIH, helping with cooking and serving the families.

She also enjoyed writing, including poetry for many occasions, and editing. She was editor-in-chief of the Pulse, NIMHD’s Inclusive Diversity Committee (IDC) inaugural newsletter. As a co-lead of NIMHD’s IDC, Desai not only embodied the ideals of inclusivity and belonging with her day-to-day activities, but also advocated for the inclusive treatment of others around her, often checking on and following up with colleagues to see how she could help them feel included and find their sense of belonging.

Desai demonstrated the impact that one person can make during their time in service. Her light will continue shining in all the lives she touched.