Monique Dubois-Dalcq

Dr. Monique Dubois-Dalcq, a Belgian native, longtime resident of Bethesda, MD and frequent world traveler, passed away in Raleigh, NC after 79+ years of passion for life and compassion for others. Born in 1939 into a family with great academic interests (her father, Prof. Albert Dalcq, held the chair of anatomy at the Free University of Brussels), she shared a bustling household in Brussels with nine older brothers and sisters, who would go on to provide her with dozens of nieces and nephews, including several who were close enough in age to be her playmates! There she developed a love for the piano, which she would sometimes play to accompany her father on the violin. She also excelled at her studies and went on to receive her M.D. degree from the Free University of Brussels, followed by an internship in neurology. Dr. Dubois-Dalcq soon became interested in experimental science and joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda in 1972, in the Infectious Diseases Branch of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). She progressed to become head of the Section on Neural and Molecular Ultrastructure in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and finally served as chief of the Laboratory of Viral and Molecular Pathology (LVMP) from 1988-1994. All the while, she raised two sons, continued to nurture her passion for the piano, and used her skill at photography to document her family life. The regular, lively gatherings of scientific colleagues that she hosted and photographed often featured live music by the ensembles she formed with several other music-loving friends; these gatherings continue to be a source of fond memories for those who were in attendance. In 1995, she left NIH to become Professor at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France, where she directed the Unit of Neurovirology and Nervous System Regeneration and served as Co-Director of the Department of Neuroscience at Pasteur until 2005. She subsequently divided her time between stays in Bethesda and time in France, intermittently returned to the NIH as a Fogarty International Scholar starting in 2001 and was an Adjunct Investigator in NINDS from 2005-2008. Dr. Dubois-Dalcq is well known for her work on viral infections of neural cells. The analysis of viral structures became ever more the center of her studies, culminating in the 1984 publication of a text book, Assembly of Enveloped RNA Viruses. With the advent of HIV-associated neuropathologies in the early 90’s, Dr. Dubois-Dalcq carried out substantial research on HIV, as well working towards the goal of developing stem cell therapies. The driving force for all these studies was to find the cause of, and ultimately a cure for, Multiple Sclerosis—a disease from which one of her elder brothers suffered with for many years, and to which he succumbed at a young age. Dr. Dubois-Dalcq was a beloved partner, mother, and grandmother to her family in America, and sister and aunt who kept in close touch with her large extended family in Europe. In all of these roles, she infused plenty of “joie de vivre” into the people around her. Her skill as a photographer allowed her to capture many joyful moments for posterity; she also used the medium to document the beauty of the natural environments around her, from the beautiful garden she tended around her homes to the picturesque landscapes which she loved to travel to and hike through. Throughout her scientific career, Dr. Dubois-Dalcq channeled her love of people into training a new generation of scientists. Numerous scientists passed through her laboratory, including several who went on to direct their own labs. In addition to training people in her own laboratory, she spearheaded efforts to disseminate knowledge about modern neuroscience and neurovirology across the world. Chief among those efforts was her initiation and organization of a highly successful international conference on “Infections of the nervous system: pathogenesis and worldwide impact” which later became a Gordon Research Conference held in Hong Kong. Dr. Dubois-Dalcq’s presence as a scientist and leader was collaborative with the intention of serving the greater good. Dr. Dubois-Dalcq was also interested in issues related to women scientists. She enthusiastically supported the younger generations of women scientists, and sought to empower them and help them make professional connections. She was appointed by the NIH director to the Task Force on the Status of Intramural Women Scientists and was instrumental in implementing some of their recommendations. In her final years she lived with Alzheimer’s and continued to bring great joy to the people around her. She was lovingly cared for by her partner, Heinz, her son Laurent, and the staff at her care homes; she was also gladdened by calls and visits from her son Joël from California. Her passing was gentle and peaceful. She is survived by her partner Heinz Arnheiter; sons and daughters-in-law Joel & Beth Dubois and Laurent & Katharine Dubois; grandchildren Theodore, Anton, and Zoe; sisters Françoise Fontigny and Cécile Lambinon, and her numerous nieces and nephews. We will miss her creativity, originality, generosity, active mind, love of science, and joyful enthusiasm for life. In lieu of flowers, you are welcome to make a donation in Monique’s honor and memory to one of her favorite charitable organizations: Partners in Health, Doctors without Borders, Amnesty International, or UNICEF.

Monique Dubois-Dalcq

March 4, 1939 - October 9, 2018