Virginia Bertness

Special Love - established June 21st, 2008

Virginia Bertness is a member of the philanthropy service group The Giving Circle of Hope. When the group decided to sponsor the Northern Virginia Chapter, she was chosen to serve as the Chapter Director. For more than 20 years, Virginia worked at the National Cancer Institute of the NIH, first in a lung cancer research group and then in the Molecular Biology Department. In addition to mentoring post-doctoral fellows from around the world, she has also been published in the New England Journal of Medicine (first author), Science, and the Journal of Experimental Medicine. A cancer survivor, Virginia is familiar with the challenges of pediatric illnesses, having lost a child to terminal disease in 1974. She and her husband also helped their other son through successful kidney transplants. Virginia is the proud grandmother to two children.