In studying sexually transmitted infections at a time when research on the topic was almost nonexistent in the U.S., Holmes became a world-renowned pioneer in demystifying the field. Holmes was 87 when he died Sunday in Seattle.

King K. Holmes, MD, PhD, the founding Chair of the Department of Global Health (DGH) and a long-standing leader in the Division of Allergy & Infectious Diseases in the UW Department of Medicine, died on Sunday, March 9, 2025. He passed peacefully with the loving support of his family and close friends. 

Dr. Holmes, 87, was the father of the previously neglected field of sexually transmitted diseases and an early leader in AIDS care and research.

The field of implementation science seeks to systematically close the gap between what we know and what we do; the Implementation Science Program (IS Program) at the UW Department of Global Health (DGH) aims to do it better.

Research Assistant with START

Master of Public Health in Global Health

Please tell us a little bit about yourself. 

Healthcare workers at the University of Washington’s International Training and Education Center for Health in Zimbabwe were dismissed from their jobs shortly after executive orders pausing foreign aid.