KU Medical Center Loses Top Researcher and Friend

Dec 28, 2007

Dr. Opendra "Bill" Narayan

The University of Kansas Medical Center has lost a top researcher, an exemplary colleague, and a good friend. Dr. Opendra “Bill” Narayan passed away on Monday, December 24 following a heart attack.

As Marion Merrell Dow Distinguished Professor and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics, and Immunology, Dr. Narayan worked toward developing life-saving vaccines and received millions of dollars in grant money at the Medical Center.

“Dr. Narayan was a passionate and brilliant researcher who made countless contributions to the field of HIV and AIDS research over the past 40 years,” Executive Vice Chancellor Dr. Barbara Atkinson said.

Born in Guyana, Dr. Narayan studied at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and practiced large-animal veterinary medicine in the Canadian Midwest before joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins University.

He joined the Medical Center in 1993, immediately making a name for himself by his dedicated pursuit of an AIDS vaccine for citizens of Third World countries. He garnered international attention and acclaim not long after his hiring after developing a new HIV model with which to test potential vaccines.

“In 31 years at the Medical Center, I can't say there's ever been a time when we had leadership like Bill's,” Dr. Michael Parmely, a professor in the same department, said. “He had all the horses pulling together, and always genuinely conveyed a great deal of support and trust in what you were doing. He was there when you were struggling, and he was there to help you celebrate success.”

Dr. Narayan was responsible for tens of millions of dollars in NIH research funding during his career at the Medical Center, including two Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grants. The current COBRE grant was one of only four at the Medical Center. His passing comes mere months before clinical trials are to begin on his latest AIDS vaccine.

“We all understand the importance of his research and of trying to sustain it, and it will be a challenge to replace such a unique set of talents,” Dr. Parmely said. “But Bill took the time to create a shared vision, and we'll be able to build on that vision.”

Dr. Narayan was 71 years old.