In Memoriam: Susan Rose ’73
Susan G. Rose, MPH, JD, 58 years old, a prominent advocate for people injured by drug reactions from the anti-malarial drug mefloquine, died unexpectedly on September 8 of a massive coronary in Silver Springs, Maryland. She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon in 1973 (in Sociology), her MPH at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1977, and her law degree at Hastings (University of California) College of Law in San Francisco in 1989.
She was the founder and director of Mefloquine (Lariam) Action, an international organization that provides information and support to those experiencing toxic reactions to mefloquine, an anti-malaria drug given to the military, to Peace Corps volunteers, and to international travelers. The drug has received publicity for its serious neurological side effects and its debated connection with suicide.
Ms. Rose helped mefloquine victims understand and cope with mefloquine's neurotoxic effects. She offered them legal advice and personal support. Working at no charge, she maintained an astonishing storehouse of research about mefloquine, not only on file but committed to memory. She counted some of the world's mefloquine experts as friends. But above all, she felt it her moral obligation to share her knowledge with the people, one by one, who suffer life-altering adverse effects that are often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and untreated. She felt a moral obligation to share the facts about this drug. She and many experts believe that mefloquine's risks far outweigh its potential benefits, especially when given to prevent a curable disease. Throughout it all, she maintained a keen sense of humor, reassuring sufferers that "You're not crazy, it's the drug (mefloquine)!"
Ms. Rose was producer of the documentary, "Taken as Directed," that exposed the life-altering consequences of mefloquine toxicity. Ms. Rose was also an expert on the use of scientific evidence in decision-making for legal and public health communities and co-author of "Science on the Witness Stand," published in 2001. She was an adjunct professor at George Washington University, School of Public Health & Health Services. Sue was an avid orchid grower and volunteer for the golden retriever rescue organization. She is survived by her husband of 34 years, David Goldsmith, PhD, her brother Jeffery Rose, MD (UOHSC grad 1977?), and her mother Beatrice Rose MD, MPH (UOHSC faculty in Dept of Public Health), and thousands of mefloquine survivors all over the world.
The Sue Rose Memorial fund has been set up to ensure that her work with mefloquine victims continues. Contributions in her name are also accepted at Golden Retriever Rescue, Education, and Training (GRREAT), P.O. Box 3069, Falls Church, VA 22043.
For more information about her ground-breaking work on Lariam, contact Ms. Jeanne Lese (her co-director); tel 415-492-8424, or via email — jeanne.lese@earthlink.net.