John Michael Kilby

Dr. John Michael Kilby, 51, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, husband of Dr. Michelle "Mia" Amaya Kilby died Monday, August 10, 2015. His Mass of Christian Burial will be held Friday, August 14, 2015 in the St. Benedict Catholic Church, 950 Darrell Creek Trail at 11:00 a.m. Prayers of Final Commendation and Farewell will be held at a later date. The family will receive friends Thursday, August 13, 2015 in J. HENRY STUHR, INC., MOUNT PLEASANT CHAPEL from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Michael was born April 22, 1964 in Winston Salem, North Carolina, son of Dr. Larry Shelton Kilby and Cheryl Hook Kilby. Dr. Kilby graduated from Wake Forest University, the Medical School at the University at Chapel Hill, Internal Medicine residency at Duke University and an Infectious Disease fellowship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He was the Chief of the Division for Infectious Diseases at MUSC. Dr. Kilby was a specialist in infectious diseases and an internationally-recognized expert in the care of patients with HIV infection. He was on the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham for 12 years where he served as the Medical Director of the UAB HIV Clinic (chosen by US News and World Report as one of the top HIV clinics in the nation). An active research scientist, Dr. Kilby studied investigational HIV therapies with the NIH-sponsored AIDS Clinical Trial Group and was Principal Investigator of the Acute Infection and Early Disease Research Program. He was a pioneer in ground-breaking clinical studies involving viral entry inhibitors and immune-based therapies for HIV infection, including T-20, a novel drug for treatment of AIDS. Dr. Kilby was recruited to the Medical University of South Carolina in 2008 where he served as Professor of Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology and as Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases.

A gifted clinician, Dr. Kilby was passionate about providing optimal care for all persons living with HIV and dramatically expanded the availability of medical services at MUSC. He was in charge of the Federally-funded Ryan White programs, which help support clinical care for over 1000 HIV-infected adults and children from across South Carolina. In 2014, Dr. Kilby participated in a White House conference on national AIDS policy. He was a well-respected medical educator and a sought-after lecturer at national and international conferences. Dr. Kilby's research interests included acute retroviral illness and HIV natural history, innovative antiretroviral therapies, and the immunopathogenesis of AIDS. He published over 80 textbook chapters and peer-reviewed papers in prestigious journals. Dr. Kilby was a Fellow in the Infectious Disease Society of America and the American College of Physicians and was on the editorial board of the Journal of AIDS.

Michael is regarded by his family as a true Renaissance man. An English major, he was a prolific reader, writer, poet, musician. He adored family time, including time with his dog, Eddie. He enjoyed stamp collecting and writing impromptu reviews of the latest music and films. A dedicated runner, he accomplished a marathon in 2014 and was training for more to come.

He is survived by his wife, Michelle "Mia" A. Kilby, two sons, Matthew Kilby and Andrew Kilby, all of Mount Pleasant, SC; his parents of North Wilkesboro, NC; brother, Dr. James David Kilby of Clovis, NM; paternal grandfather, John Thomas Kilby of Wilkesboro, NC; parents in law, Dr. Marc (Donna) Amaya of Durham, NC; two sisters-in-law, Dr. Lisa (Scott) Amaya-Jackson of Durham, NC, and Cami (Rusty) Hook of Boulder, CO; and brother-in-law, Dr. Greg (Sharon) Amaya of Atlanta, GA. His nieces and nephews include Ben Kilby, Katie and Ryan Jackson, and Courtney, Charlie, and Jeremy Hook.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the MUSC Division of Infectious Diseases in memory of J. Michael Kilby, MD at: MUSC Foundation, 18 Bee Street, MSC 450, Charleston, SC 29425, or by going to www. musc.edu/giving/medicine.