Sanford F. Kuvin z”l, MD, MS, DTM&H was a passionate visionary. He was raised in Newark, New Jersey and received degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Cambridge University and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. England. During medical training, he began to focus on malaria research, and developed the fluorescent antibody test for the disease while working at the National Institutes of Health. After a few years on the faculty at the University of Miami, he went to Palm Beach, Florida to practice internal medicine. Dr. Kuvin and his family loved Israel and built a life there centered at their home in Jerusalem. In 1973, through generous donations, a Chair was developed in his name at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1976, the Chair became the Sanford F. Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases.

As the Center’s International Chairman, Dr. Kuvin was intimately involved in helping the scientists develop cooperative projects within the region and around the world. In the 1980s, Dr. Kuvin was instrumental in bringing together scientists from Ein Shams University (Cairo, Egypt), the Kuvin Center, and the United States for a pioneering cooperative regional health project. This was the start of many projects, which brought together experts to focus on regional health, and served as a peaceful model for others. According to Dr. Kuvin, “health and science are the best prescription for peace in the Middle East, where mosquitoes know no borders. When you get scientists together with a common goal, they forget about everything else. First science and health for all, then regional cooperation.”

In addition to the Kuvin Center, Dr. Kuvin was passionate about almost anything he paid attention to, including playing musical instruments (he was an accomplished clarinetist and flautist), skiing, beach erosion, and of course, his family. Dr. Kuvin was married to Gabrielle Kuvin for 55 years. His legacy lives on in his four children and 10 grandchildren.

The Kuvin Foundation was established to promote regional cooperation through health and science collaboration and to support research at the Kuvin Center and through Kuvin Foundation Traveling Fellowships.