It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Dr. Charles Boucher, one of the founders of INTEREST.
Charles was a co-founder and has been a driving force in identifying knowledge gaps and providing medical education for HIV professionals from the very start. An incredibly talented scientist with enormous ambition within the HIV field, Charles has cemented his legacy as a major contributor to HIV research and clinical virology.
Charles first came into his own in the early 90s as a PhD student when he established himself as an international thought-leader, providing early research on HIV drug resistance. His reputation preceded him as someone who was eager to participate in a lively discussion, regularly offering suggestions that would challenge others to consider new ideas and concepts in clinical virology.
This clever way of thinking was an ideal match for his role as a mentor and his guidance created an environment where students and early career professionals could cultivate and develop new ideas. His colleagues would describe him as witty, innovative, energetic, and a brilliant scientist who was always 2 steps ahead in HIV research.
One of his major contributions was his visionary insight into the need to provide education on niche topics in HIV. By identifying these topics and giving time to discuss these various branches at events, he was able to kickstart further research which resulted in improved HIV care.
Charles’ many achievements cannot be accurately summarized here, but his prestigious career included graduating cum laude from the Academic Medical Center, earning a PhD in Clinical Virology from the University of Amsterdam, publishing over 300 peer-reviewed papers, and working professionally for nearly two decades as the Professor of Virology at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam as well as a Clinical Microbiologist at the Erasmus Medical Center.
Charles was a thoughtful and inspirational leader and enthusiastic about getting to know people from different cultures and communities. He was a remarkable educator and his passion and enthusiasm for science and learning was unparalleled.
An encounter with Charles left us feeling more cheerful through his sparkling wit and at the office, he never failed to make us laugh with his unique sense of humor. Always energetic and full of life, we will fondly remember his love for the Rolling Stones, Harley Davidson motorcycles, and camping with his children. When traveling with him across the world, he was the person you designated to pick the wine and, to the envy of his colleagues, jetlag would never stop him from enjoying the evening.
All of us at INTEREST benefitted from his warmth and kindness. He impacted our lives, not only as founder, but as a mentor, teacher, and friend. He will be dearly missed.
Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.
If you would like to post your condolences, please click the button below. You will be directed to the Memorial Page hosted by Virology Education and Academic Medical Education, where Dr. Charles Boucher was the Scientific Director.
