Gilbert Kombe, an AIDS activist and a health professor atGeorge Washington (GW) University in Washington, DC, died November 6, The GW Hatchet reports. He was 49 years old. Hiswife said a cerebral stroke was the cause of death. 

According to the article, Kombe earned his master’s degreein public health from GW in the 1990s. After graduation, he was an associateprofessor in the university’s global health program, where he became involvedin fighting the AIDS epidemic in Washington, DC.  

As a native of Zambia, he dedicated much of his life to preventingHIV/AIDS in Africa, as well as improving health systems across the continent.Kombe started working in 2001 with Abt Associates, a multimillion dollarcompany working in more than 30 countries to develop HIV/AIDS health caresystems. 

“Gilbert was important to us professionally and personallyand had a great impact throughout the world as a clinician, a professor, aproject leader, a mentor and a friend,” said Kathleen Flanagan, president andCEO of Abt Associates.