Wendy Havran, PhD, a longtime Scripps Research professor whose groundbreaking immunology research revealed important mechanisms involved in wound healing, died on January 20, 2020 due to complications following a heart attack. She was 64.

“Wendy not only made significant contributions to the field of immunology and wound healing, but she inspired countless Scripps Research graduate students and postdocs through her enthusiastic mentorship spanning nearly three decades.”

-Jamie Williamson, PhD,
Executive Vice President of Research and Academic Affairs, Scripps Research

Havran, who also served as associate dean of the Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences, joined Scripps Research in 1991 after winning a prestigious Lucille P. Markey Scholar in Biomedical Science grant. She was a pioneer in the field of gamma-delta T cells—immune cells that play a key role in wound healing—resulting in several major discoveries that she and her colleagues were working to translate into medical treatments for the skin and intestines.

For all of her acclaim as an immunologist, Havran also was highly noted for her ability to train the next generation of scientists and teach them how to become effective mentors in their own right. In 2002, she founded Scripps Research’s Summer Immunology Internship Program for undergraduates and directed the program from 2004 to 2006. Recently, she was named the 2018 Outstanding Mentor by the Society of Fellows, a postdoctoral organization at Scripps Research, with two dozen letters of support from current and former trainees.

“Mentoring is one of the best parts of the job,” Havran said when receiving the award.