A. Robert Neurath
Author | New York, NY 10003, U.S.A. |
Website
I was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia in 1933. I immigrated to the United States in 1964. I graduated from the Technical University (Bratislava) in 1957, and earned in 1968 a doctorate in microbiology from the Technical University, Vienna, Austria. For over 45 years I directed research on viruses: influenza, rabies, hepatiti.... more
I was born in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia in 1933. I immigrated to the United States in 1964. I graduated from the Technical University (Bratislava) in 1957, and earned in 1968 a doctorate in microbiology from the Technical University, Vienna, Austria. For over 45 years I directed research on viruses: influenza, rabies, hepatitis B, the human immunodeficiency virus type I, and on vaccines against these viruses. This resulted, among others, in a marketed influenza vaccine and a procedure for virus inactivation in blood products and plasma, making them safe for human use. The method has been protected by US patents and licensed globally. My research was partly financially supported by the National Institutes of Health, and resulted in about 250 scientific papers, including monographs and book chapters, and 23 US patents.
I retired from scientific research in 2006. Since then, I changed my focus on political and cultural issues.
Testimonies provided by Holocaust survivors usually emphasize the terrible experiences endured during World War II in Nazi-occupied Europe. There has been little, if any, positive feedback from survivors starting a “new life”, mostly in another country. Accordingly, a tendency to emphasize negativity has mostly prevailed. Favorable attributes, including tenacity, aspirations, competence, willingness for change, self-reliance, readiness to collaborate with and trust others, appreciating new opportunities — all prerequisites for success in a new environment — have received much less attention. To address this issue, I have described the accomplishments by immigrants in the published books listed below. They cover literature, journalism, sciences, medicine, visual and performing arts, architecture, business, sports and politics.