George Seage III

George R. Seage III (1957–2021) was a leading epidemiologist in the field of Health Science, renowned for his contributions to HIV/AIDS research. He earned a BS in biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, an MPH in environmental health from Boston University School of Public Health in 1983, and a DSc in epidemiology from Boston University School of Public Health in 1991. Seage held an adjunct professor position in epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health, where he was also a distinguished alumnus. His primary career unfolded at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, beginning as a research assistant in the Department of Epidemiology during his MPH program. He joined the faculty as associate professor of epidemiology in 1999 and was promoted to professor in 2012. Seage directed the Interdisciplinary Program in Infectious Disease Epidemiology and served as co-principal investigator of a T32 graduate training program in the epidemiology of infectious diseases and biodefense. Earlier, he was the first director of the Massachusetts AIDS Surveillance Program and provided leadership for key studies including the Boston Partners Study, Boston Young Men’s Study, HIVNET Vaccine Preparedness Study, and Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group 219C study.

As principal investigator of the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study (PHACS) Data and Operations Center for the last 15 years of his career, Seage advanced knowledge on the long-term health effects of antiretroviral therapy in children with perinatal HIV infection and HIV-exposed uninfected youth. His research illuminated behavioral aspects of HIV transmission, natural history, treatment, and prevention, influencing global pediatric HIV care guidelines and public health policy. Seage co-authored the widely used textbook Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health, first published in 2003 with Ann Aschengrau, and authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications in major journals. Notable works include Expanded screening for HIV in the United States—an analysis of cost-effectiveness (New England Journal of Medicine, 2005), The cost effectiveness of combination antiretroviral therapy for HIV disease (New England Journal of Medicine, 2001), and Estimating the lost benefits of antiretroviral drug use in South Africa (JAIDS Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 2008). He received the Massachusetts Governor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to AIDS Research, Fenway Community Health Center Research Award, and Boston University School of Public Health Alumni Award. Seage mentored the next generation of infectious disease epidemiologists and fostered collaborative research environments.