The University is mourning the loss of Ethan Posner, who passed away Friday, March 8 after a brief illness. He was a sophomore studying Biophysics at the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and a member of Hopkins Hillel, the Jewish Students Association, Club Swimming, the German Club and the Undergraduate Brain Computer Interface Society.
Posner was also an active researcher at the Fleming Lab and a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. Last December, he shared his research experiences in an interview with The News-Letter. At the Fleming Lab, Posner examined SurA and its interactions with outer membrane proteins. He was interested in understanding the mechanisms behind such pathways in particular, because it could be used to develop new antibiotic therapies that target the studied interactions.
As part of the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Posner was dedicated to forming his three-year independent research project. Over the summer, he had begun planning experiments, writing protocols and analyzing data for his project.
In an email to the University, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Rachelle Hernandez and Associate Vice Provost for Student Engagement and Dean of Students Brittini Brown wrote about Posner’s involvement and impact on the Hopkins community.
“Ethan will be remembered by all who knew him for his ability to ‘light up a room,’ as well as being kind and reliable,” they wrote.
Students who wish to express their condolences to Posner’s family can write an email to “The Family of Ethan Posner” and send it to the Office of the Dean of Students at deanofstudents@jhu.edu. A remembrance service will be held on campus after Spring Break.
Hernandez and Brown encouraged students to take care of their well-being and use mental health resources as necessary.
“The loss of a student deeply impacts our community. In the coming days, please look for opportunities to help and support one another,” they wrote.
Mental Health Services can be reached at (410) 516-8278 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. (closed 12–1 p.m.) as well as Wednesdays from 1–6 p.m. Please leave a message during the 12–1 p.m. hour or press 1 to reach the on-call counselor.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a crisis, contact the Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team at (410) 516-WELL (9355) to speak with a crisis support clinician.
Student Outreach and Support is available for appointments by calling (410) 516-7857 or scheduling through their website.
Religious and Spiritual Life can be reached at (410) 516-1880 from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. from Monday through Friday.
A Place to Talk peer listening group is available Sunday through Thursday, 7 p.m.–1 a.m. in Brody Learning Commons 4010 and 7–11 p.m. in AMR I.
The TalkNow virtual counseling service is available through timelycare.com/jhu.
Students who live in residence halls may contact their Resident Advisor or Residence Director or stop by a Residential Life office. Residential Life can be contacted by phone on (410) 516-8283 or by email to residentiallife@jhu.edu.
Additional health and well-being resources provided by the University can be found on the well-being website.
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