AIDS Philanthropist Irene Diamond Dies At Age 92

Irene Diamond, an AIDS philanthropist and medical research benefactor, died on Tuesday at age 92, the New York Times reports. Diamond in 1994 established the Irene Diamond Foundation to support the fight against AIDS and the performing arts; the fund succeeded the Aaron Diamond Foundation, which she and her husband, for whom the foundation was named, established in the 1950s. Among the foundation's top priorities was the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, affiliated with Rockefeller University. The center's director, Dr. David Ho, has made "crucial" discoveries about how the immune system is affected by HIV, according to the Times. Diamond also championed AIDS education programs in public schools (Saxon, New York Times, 1/23).