Adah Elizabeth Verder

Adah Elizabeth Verder (June 18, 1900 − August 28, 1997) was an American medical bacteriologist and science administrator. She was a researcher in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' (NIAID) intramural research program specialized in gastrointestinal flora and staphylococci, pseudomonas, and pleuropneumonia organisms. Verder later served as chief of the bacteriology and mycology branch in the extramural division of NIAID. She was a fellow of several societies including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Public Health Association, American Academy of Microbiology, and the New York Academy of Sciences.

Early life and education Verder was born on June 18, 1900, in Davenport, Iowa.

Career From 1928 to 1932, Verder was an instructor in bacteriology at University of Chicago for 3 years. She was an assistant professor at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences from 1932 to 1935. In 1935, Verder was an assistant bacteriologist with the Maryland Department of Health.

She came to National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) in 1936, as an associate bacteriologist and worked with Alice Catherine Evans. Verder is known for characterizing different strains of staphylococcus, particularly those resistant to antibiotics. Trained in the bacteriological methods of the time (1938), Verder spent her intramural research career at NIAID studying gastrointestinal flora and staphylococci and training NIH staff in bacteriological methods.