BAL HARBOUR, FLA. (WSVN) - A noted HIV and AIDS researcher drowned Tuesday afternoon off the coast of Bal Harbour Tuesday afternoon, the Miami Herald reports.
Dr. Mark Wainberg, 71, was swimming with his family when he went missing, Bal Harbour Police said.
According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Wainberg’s son swam out to where he had last seen his father in an attempt to rescue him. As he began to swim back to shore with his father, other beach-goers entered the water to help bring him to the beach.
Officers on the beach administered CPR, and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported Wainberg to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Very sad to hear that Mark Wainberg drowned. He was a major force in HIV science. Will be missed.
— Paul Volberding (@pvolberding) April 12, 2017
The CBC reports that Wainberg was one of the first to discover the anti-viral drug Lamivudine, which is used to treat infections caused by HIV. He also extensively researched HIV drug resistance to identify mutations that caused some medications to not work as effectively.
Wainberg previously served as president of the International AIDS Society, the Herald reports, and he was inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame in 2015 for his work, which “revolutionized our understanding of HIV/AIDS at medical, epidemiological and political levels.”
Bal Harbour Police Captain Mike De La Rosa said red flags indicating strong currents or surf had been put up Tuesday morning.
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