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Theodore C. Eickhoff, MD, past Infectious Disease News Chief Medical Editor, dies at 86
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Theodore C. (Ted) Eickhoff, MD, professor emeritus in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and longtime Chief Medical Editor of Infectious Disease News, died March 24 at age 86.
Eickhoff’s death was announced by the University of Colorado Denver. According to associate professor of medicine Michelle Barron, MD, and Eric Poeschla, MD, head of the division of infectious diseases, Eickhoff was one of the founders of the discipline of infection prevention and control.
“He began his career at the CDC and was actively involved in the global campaign to eradicate smallpox,” Barron and Poeschla wrote. “He was a life-long champion of adult immunizations. He was committed to educating his colleagues about balanced assessments of benefits, costs and risks of routine vaccination to prevent diphtheria, tetanus, measles, rubella, influenza, hepatitis B and pneumococcal disease.”
Eickhoff served as Chief Medical Editor of Infectious Disease News for more than 22 years until 2010. During that time, as Eickhoff noted in a farewell editorial, the publication chronicled major themes in infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS care, emerging infections, pandemic influenza, the prevention and control of nosocomial infections and antibiotic resistance. He had been serving as Editor Emeritus of Infectious Disease News at the time of his death.
Current Infectious Disease News Chief Medical Editor Paul A. Volberding, MD, described Eickhoff as a “truly visionary leader” in infectious diseases who helped to establish it as a specialty of internal medicine.
“He was vitally interested in the treatment of infections but equally focused on the prevention of infections,” said Volberding, who is also director of the AIDS Research Institute at the University of California, San Francisco. “With a career that spanned public health efforts at the CDC and in leadership roles in academic medicine in Denver, Ted was a natural for his selection as Chief Medical Editor of Infectious Disease News. He was steadfast in his determination that IDN bring the most important developments across the wide range of topics of value to the ID community. He was a natural leader and brought a diverse set of colleagues to work closely with him on the IDN Editorial Board. His contributions will be long remembered, and he will be missed by us all who are indebted to him for his character and accomplishments.”
Infectious Disease News Editorial Board member Donald Kaye, MD, MACP, a professor of medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine and an author of IDN’s Eye on ID column, said he was a personal friend of Eickhoff’s for many years.
“He was a member of the prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigation, a major contributor to MMWR when he was at the CDC, and he was especially known in the area of influenza prevention,” Kaye said. “He was one of the earliest hospital epidemiologists. Most importantly, he was a wonderful person and a great friend, and he will be sorely missed.”
According to the University of Colorado Denver, Eickhoff was appointed head of the division of infectious diseases just 6 months after joining the department of medicine in 1967. During his award-winning career, he also held the positions of chief of medicine at Denver General Hospital — now Denver Health Medical Center — director of internal medicine at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and medical director of infection prevention and control at the University of Colorado Hospital.
“Ted was a classic gentleman; wise, thoughtful and always a joy to be around,” said John C. Carter, Chief Operations Officer at The Wyanoke Group, publisher of Infectious Disease News.
According to the university, funeral services for Eickhoff will be held at 3 p.m. MDT on Sunday, April 15, at Saint Peter Lutheran Church, 9300 East Belleview Avenue, Greenwood Village, Colorado. Memorial contributions can be made to either The Donald F. Hinchey Scholarship Fund at Our Father Lutheran Church, 6335 South Holly Street in Centennial, Colorado, or The General Scholarship Fund at St. Peter Lutheran Church. – by Gerard Gallagher