OKLAHOMA CITY , Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Dr. Edward N. Brandt Jr., who organized the initial U.S. response to AIDS in the early 1980s, has died at his Oklahoma City home at age 74.
Brandt died Aug. 25 of lung cancer, his son, Edward III, told The New York Times.
Brandt served as assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and acting surgeon general of the Public Health Service in the early 1980s, when doctors were first encountering AIDS.
He was known -- and sometimes criticized for -- his optimistic estimation on when a vaccine for the illness would become available. He was also known for wrangling to get the Reagan administration to start prioritizing the issue of AIDS.
Brandt fiercely lobbied for more money for AIDS research, and was also a top advocate for women’s health and women in science, the Times reported.
During his career, Brandt also led several medical schools and served as executive dean of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Born in Oklahoma City in 1933, Brandt is survived by his father, stepmother, wife, three sons, a sister, a brother and seven grandchildren, the Times said.
