Judith Blackfield Cohen, born October 25, 1938, to Harry and Eva (Smith) Blackfield, passed away on Wednesday, September 18, 2024. She is survived by two daughters, Deborah Diggins and Rebecca Botelho, a son, Jean Tayor-Woodbury; a sister, Wendy Quiñones, grandchildren Neil C. Dana and William B., Tiffany M. and Jeffrey A. Lawsha.
Judith was a respected epidemiologist, the first woman to earn a PhD in epidemiology from UC Berkeley. She was active early in the AIDS epidemic, doing research, education and outreach, especially among female sex workers. She published one of the first papers establishing that women could be infected with HIV and AIDS and she founded AWARE (Association for Women's AIDS Risk Education). She investigated many areas of public health, including aging, substance abuse, heart disease, mental illness, suicide, stress and many others. She was an assistant professor of epidemiology at Cal and a Research Epidemiologist at UCSF. She was vice-chair of the Institutional Review Board for Ethical and Independent Review Service, and she consulted with the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the ministries of health in Guatemala, Mexico and Jamaica.
In her youth she was a dancer and maintained a lifelong love for the ballet. She had also been an excellent horsewoman and a scuba diver and instructor. She was an excellent cook and lover of good food, particularly Japanese. An animal lover, she volunteered at the San Francisco SPCA; she read voraciously and traveled widely. She was an active and beloved member of Congregation Sha'ar Zahav.
Her funeral will be celebrated on Wednesday, September 25th at 11 am in the Hills of Eternity Cemetery, 1301 El Camino Real, Colma, CA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Congregation Sha'ar Zahav, the SPCA , or WORLD (Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases).