Janet W. Hartley

Janet W. Hartley (born March 25, 1928) is an American virologist who worked at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). A Washingtonian, she received degrees in bacteriology and virology research before graduating with a Ph.D. and joining the National Institutes of Health lab of Bob Huebner. Later becoming section head for the virology department, she would spend the next four decades researching a variety of viruses, discovering numerous species, and identifying new methods for quantifying viruses and the involvement of viral infection in cancer development.

Education Born on March 25, 1928 in Washington, D.C., While working on her doctoral degree, she conducted virology research in Bob Huebner's National Institutes of Health (NIH) lab as a laboratory technician starting in 1953. She graduated with her Ph.D. in 1957.

Career Remaining at the NIH for several decades, she would later become section head in NIAID for the Laboratory of Viral Diseases department. She ended up publishing over 200 papers through her work and particularly advanced understanding of viral diseases in mice that would be foundational for HIV research. In 1989, she was given the DHHS Distinguished Service Award by NIH Director Anthony Fauci for her 34 years of contributions to NIAID.