John Bartlett, M.D., a visionary physician-scientist and pioneer in HIV/AIDS study and treatment who built the infectious diseases division at The Johns Hopkins Hospital into one of the world’s premier centers in the field, died peacefully on Jan. 19 in New York. He was 83 years old.
In the 26 years that Bartlett led the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Diseases — from 1980 to 2006 — it grew from having just three full-time staff members and a budget of $200,000 to one of Johns Hopkins’ largest divisions, with a roster of 55 faculty members, a staff of 177 and a research budget of $40 million. By the time Bartlett stepped down, the division was treating more than 5,100 patients annually with the latest in medication protocols, many of which he helped validate through clinical trials.