Taryn Hook, Esq., J.D. ’88 writes that she "is credited with bringing a mysterious disease killing snakes all over the world to the attention of renowned scientist Dr. Joe DeRisi, Vice Chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at UCSF. Hook, an amateur herpetologist, wrote DeRisi a letter imploring him to find a cure for Inclusion Body Disease, which killed two of her pet snakes and potentially affected another, Larry. In response, Dr. DeRisi researched the disease, and discovered that the cause of the illness appears to originate from a new set of viruses similar to the Ebola virus. A news article published by UCSF in August of this year relates that this new discovery potentially leads to diagnostics and treatment, making it possible to someday eliminate the disease from snake collections worldwide. Hook is featured in an UCSF and NPR story about Dr. DeRisi’s groundbreaking discovery as well as on other major media outlets."