Diana Martin (scientist)

Diana Rae Martin ONZM (née France; 7 February 1942 – 31 December 2019) was a New Zealand microbiologist. She was a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi from 2000, and was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to microbiology in 2008.

Diana Martin ONZM
Martin receiving her ONZM in 2008
Born	Diana Rae France (1942-02-07)7 February 1942 Wellington, New Zealand
Died	31 December 2019(2019-12-31) (aged 77)
Alma mater	University of London
Spouse	Peter Martin ​ (m. 1969)​
Scientific career
Institutions	New Zealand Communicable Disease Centre Institute of Environmental Science and Research
Thesis	Variation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (1971)

Early life and education

Martin was born Diana Rae France in Wellington on 7 February 1942, the daughter of Udall and Thelma France.^[1][2] She followed a Bachelor of Science in 1963 from the University of Otago with an MSc(Hons) in microbiology in 1965, with a thesis titled Observations on the distribution and bacteriophage typing of the genus proteus.^[3][1]

She worked for the National Health Institute in Wellington for two years, and then in 1968 moved to the Central Public Health Laboratory in London, where she was in charge of the Pseudomonas Laboratory. During her time in London, she obtained her PhD on microbial epidemiology from the University of London, submitting her thesis, Variation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in 1971.^[4]

Research

Martin returned to New Zealand in 1972, where she initially worked for Wellington Polytechnic as a microbiology tutor, until 1975. After this point she worked for the National Health Institute, the New Zealand Communicable Disease Centre and the Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR). Martin was instrumental in the creation of the Group B meningococcal OMV vaccine (MeNZB) for New Zealand. She retired in 2011.^[1]

Honours and awards

Martin was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi in 2000.^[1] In the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to microbiology.^[5]

Personal life

In 1969, she married Peter David Martin, a respiratory physician.^[2] In the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours, Peter Martin was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to tobacco control.^[6]

Diana Martin died on 31 December 2019 after a "long, debilitating illness". She was survived by her husband and two children.^[1][7]

Selected works

• Johan Holst; Diana Martin; Richard Arnold; Concepcion Campa Huergo; Philipp Oster; Jane O'Hallahan; Einar Rosenqvist (28 May 2009). "Properties and clinical performance of vaccines containing outer membrane vesicles from Neisseria meningitidis". Vaccine. 27 Suppl 2: B3-12. doi:10.1016/J.VACCINE.2009.04.071. ISSN 0264-410X. PMID 19481313. Wikidata Q34983894.
• Ellen Murphy; Lubomira Andrew; Kwok-Leung Lee; et al. (1 August 2009). "Sequence diversity of the factor H binding protein vaccine candidate in epidemiologically relevant strains of serogroup B Neisseria meningitidis". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 200 (3): 379–389. doi:10.1086/600141. ISSN 0022-1899. PMID 19534597. Wikidata Q46777542.
• Fanrong Kong; Sonia Gowan; Diana Martin; Gregory James; Gwendolyn L Gilbert (1 January 2002). "Serotype identification of group B streptococci by PCR and sequencing". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 40 (1): 216–226. doi:10.1128/JCM.40.1.216-226.2002. ISSN 0095-1137. PMC 120111. PMID 11773119. Wikidata Q33946289.
• Ray Borrow; Ingeborg S Aaberge; George F Santos; et al. (1 August 2005). "Interlaboratory standardization of the measurement of serum bactericidal activity by using human complement against meningococcal serogroup b, strain 44/76-SL, before and after vaccination with the Norwegian MenBvac outer membrane vesicle vaccine". Clinical and Vaccine Immunology. 12 (8): 970–976. doi:10.1128/CDLI.12.8.970-976.2005. ISSN 1556-6811. PMC 1182195. PMID 16085915. Wikidata Q33910760.
• Fanrong Kong; Sonia Gowan; Diana Martin; Gregory James; Gwendolyn L Gilbert (1 February 2002). "Molecular profiles of group B streptococcal surface protein antigen genes: relationship to molecular serotypes". Journal of Clinical Microbiology. 40 (2): 620–626. doi:10.1128/JCM.40.2.620-626.2002. ISSN 0095-1137. PMC 153396. PMID 11825981. Wikidata Q34945913.
• Jane O'Hallahan; Diana Lennon; Philipp Oster; et al. (1 March 2005). "From secondary prevention to primary prevention: a unique strategy that gives hope to a country ravaged by meningococcal disease". Vaccine. 23 (17–18): 2197–2201. doi:10.1016/J.VACCINE.2005.01.061. ISSN 0264-410X. PMID 15755594. Wikidata Q44629684.