Randall Jay Cohrs Ph.D.

February 11, 1952 ~ July 30, 2021

Dr. Cohrs dedicated himself to solving the mysteries of the Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) and how to eliminate the suffering of the painful disease shingles. 

Randy worked for many years at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and was the founder and president of Rocky Mountain Virology Association. He was also a Consultant for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Professor Cohrs was President-elect of Rocky Mountain Branch of American Society for Microbiology and founder of the Colorado Alphaherpesvirus Latency Symposium.  Moreover, Professor Cohrs served as Vice chairman, Steering Committee for the 'Global Translational Medicine Consortium' (GTMC) headquartered in Vienna, Austria. Professor Cohrs served as editorial board member for various international peer-reviewed journals, and served on the grant review committee for the National Institute of Health (NIH).  Dr. Cohrs was the author of 161 publications in several prestigious scientific journals, and was frequently cited by other scientists in their own research.

Randy enjoyed life to the fullest with his wife Terri, and they enjoyed traveling, family and recreation together.  They enjoyed dressing as Mr. & Mrs. Claus at Halloween and delighted neighborhood children by handing out $2 bills. One of his greatest joys was being a mentor to students through his work.

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In Randy's memory, the RMBASM will award $202 for the best and most enthusiastic undergraduate talk presented at the Branch meetings.