Diane Wara, MD, is a professor emeritus of pediatrics in the Allergy/Immunology Bone Marrow Transplant Division, director of the Northern California Pediatric HIV Program, and a member of the leadership group for the NIAID-funded domestic and international clinical trials program in HIV (IMPAACT). Her work, along with that of others, led to the successful strategy for the interruption of perinatal transmission in the developed world. Currently, she is working through IMPAACT to extend and modify successful strategies to prevent transmission throughout the developing world. Dr. Wara has authored more than180 publications and, throughout her career, has focused her research on the pathogenesis and treatment strategies of pediatric immune deficiency syndromes (PIDD) and pediatric HIV. She contributed to reports of the first child with adenosine deaminase deficiency as well as treatment strategies for this disorder, including the successful gene transfer in neonates with known ADA deficiency; the first child with purine nucleoside phosphorylase deficiency; the first child with ZAP-70 deficiency; and mutations in IKK -gamma leading to NEMO syndrome. Dr. Wara contributed to reports of the first child with HIV, the first subject to acquire HIV from a blood transfusion, the first report of vertical transmission of hepatitis C, the role(s) of genetic factors as well as neutralizing antibody in the perinatal transmission of HIV as well as long-term progression; the detection and diagnosis of in-utero versus peripartum transmission. She reported the successful interruption of HIV perinatal transmission by the use of intrapartum AZT to the mother and infant prophylaxis for 6 weeks; she reported numerous successful HIV treatment strategies for children and youth. Dr. Wara led the Immunology Division and the UCSF Pediatric Clinical Research Center for over 25 years. She served as member and chair of two NIH study sections as well as member and chair of the NIH Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (2002-2006). Dr. Wara was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, in 1998.