The University of Notre Dame’s Eck Institute for Global Health mourns the loss of Dr. Robert Andrew Salata, who passed away on August 26, 2024. Dr. Salata earned his bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Notre Dame in 1975 and his MD at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where he went on to serve as a faculty member for 36 years. He was the STERIS Chair of Excellence in Medicine, physician-in-chief, distinguished physician, senior attending physician, chair of chairs, and medical director of infection control and prevention at UH Cleveland Medical Center.

In 2020, Dr. Salata and his wife, Jody, established the Dr. Robert and Mary Jo Salata Endowment for Excellence at the Eck Institute for Global Health. It provides support for students studying global health, including in the Eck Institute’s Master of Science in Global Health (MSGH) program, to have irreplaceable experiential learning and field research opportunities.

Dr. Bernard Nahlen, the Director of the Eck Institute and professor of biological sciences, said, “Bob Salata leaves behind an incredible legacy of compassion and commitment. He and Jody have been ardent supporters of the Eck Institute and its mission to promote health as a human right. We will remember Bob not just for his expertise, which he was so generous in sharing with our students during his many visits to campus, but also for empowering our students to make their own contributions to improving health in resource-limited countries around the world.”

Recently, the Salata Endowment supported Sarah Frick (MSGH ’24) in conducting field research in Ghana to identify facilitators and barriers to breastfeeding. It also enabled Henry Kamugisha (MSGH ’24) to conduct research on the spread of malaria in East Africa. Kamugisha deployed an innovative form of malaria testing to discover why malaria is emerging at increasingly higher numbers in the rugged highland regions of central Ethiopia.

Kamugisha, who recently began Notre Dame’s doctoral program in biological sciences, reflected on the profound impact Dr. Salata had on the University's global health programs and on his own academic journey. “I am deeply saddened to learn of Dr. Salata's passing,” Kamugisha said. “His generosity and commitment to advancing research through his Endowment for Excellence Award at the Eck Institute has had a lasting impact on many students, including myself. As a former beneficiary of this support, I am profoundly grateful for the opportunities he provided, which have shaped my academic and professional journey. Dr. Salata's legacy will continue to live on in the countless lives he touched through his work and philanthropy.”

Throughout his career, Salata was an expert guide and trusted scientific voice during major public health crises. In the 1990s, Salata launched a major effort to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He became the first principal investigator for the Uganda-Case Western Reserve University Research Collaboration, which began in 1997 and continues to this day. Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Salata educated physicians on the disease and was influential in establishing the first clinical trial of Remdesivir. He went on to lead the trial for the Pfizer COVID mRNA vaccine in Northeast Ohio. At the same time, he informed and advised members of the public about the pandemic through local and national media interviews.

To read more about Dr. Salata’s life and impact, please visit https://www.schultemahonmurphy.com/obituaries/Dr-Robert-Andrew-Salata?obId=32916295#/obituaryInfo.

Contact:

Brett Beasley / Writer and Editorial Program Manager

Notre Dame Research / University of Notre Dame

bbeasle1@nd.edu / +1 574-631-8183

research.nd.edu / @UNDResearch

About Notre Dame Research:

The University of Notre Dame is a private research and teaching university inspired by its Catholic mission. Located in South Bend, Indiana, its researchers are advancing human understanding through research, scholarship, education, and creative endeavor in order to be a repository for knowledge and a powerful means for doing good in the world. For more information, please see research.nd.edu or @UNDResearch.

Originally published by Brett Beasley at globalhealth.nd.edu on September 12, 2024.