Ellen Simon Stover

Dr. Ellen Lee Simon Stover (b. November 21, 1950) was the first of four children born to Drs. Ralph and Charlotte Simon of Brooklyn, New York. Ellen and her family settled in Bethesda, Maryland in 1957 after her father began a career as a psychologist at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). She excelled in academics from an early age through her high school career at Walter Johnson (class of 1968), and in her spare time performed as a ballerina with the Young Peoples Ballet Theater of Montgomery County. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in 1972, Ellen went on to complete her Ph.D. at the Catholic University of America in 1978. Following in her father’s footsteps, she began work at the NIMH, and embarked upon a career in behavioral science research that would span decades. Beginning in 1983, Ellen pioneered the NIMH initiative for research on AIDS, at a time when the disease was poorly understood and carried a significant social stigma. As the director of the Division on AIDS Research, her work on the behavioral and psychological factors contributing to HIV/AIDS transmission was instrumental in developing successful programs for education, prevention, and treatment. In more recent years, she expanded her work to include research programs on schizophrenia and other mental disorders. Ellen passed away on March 16, 2014 surrounded by her family, after a 9-month battle with an inoperable brain tumor. She is survived by her parents, her sister Lisa and brother Russell, her husband Alan, and their children Elena, Randall, and Samantha. Ellen was fiercely dedicated to her work, and her career has paved the way for groundbreaking international developments in AIDS research programs. Although we have made great strides in the understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS, Ellen’s work has not yet been completed. If you would like to honor her memory, the family requests donations to the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a community-based HIV/AIDS education and treatment program in the Washington, DC area. Using the following link, you can dedicate a contribution in tribute to Ellen Stover: https://www.whitman-walker.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=448