Mary K. Howett, 60, Drexel biosciences department head

Mary K. Sheehan Howett, 60, of Harrisburg, chairwoman of the department of bioscience and biotechnology at Drexel University, died of complications from leukemia Wednesday at Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center.

Dr. Howett joined Drexel in 2003 after a 30-year career as a professor of microbiology and biotechnology at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey.

When she applied for the chairwoman position, she became the number-one candidate, said Donna Murasko, dean of Drexel's College of Arts and Sciences. Though she had not taught undergraduates, Dr. Howett had chaired the admissions committee at the Penn State medical school, and understood the type of training that college students need to be successful in the fields of medicine and science, Murasko said.

As department head, Dr. Howett helped young faculty members achieve their goals, Murasko said: "She was direct and honest, and always gave individuals a second chance."

Dr. Howett was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005 and underwent a bone marrow transplant. She was back at work by January 2006. She was in her office 10 days ago and was full of energy, Murasko said, and recently recruited four faculty members for her department.

An internationally known researcher, Dr. Howett had been involved in the development of the Gardasil vaccine to protect against human papillomavirus. She was developing a pump that could be used to filter breast milk tainted with the AIDS virus, and was working to create a condom coating that would kill the virus. She founded a company, Renaissance Scientific, to produce the condoms and the pump, said her husband, John C. Howett Jr.

A native of Havertown, Dr. Howett graduated from Holy Child Academy in Sharon Hill. She earned a bachelor's degree from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and a doctorate in virology from the Wistar Institute of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1982, she was awarded a National Institutes of Health Fellowship to study at the Institute of Experimental Pathology and Therapy in the then-Soviet republic of Georgia. She had lectured at the Institute of Virology in Beijing and at Wuhan University, both in China.

The science of cooking fascinated her as much as medical research, her husband said. She loved preparing flank steak and lasagna, or more exotic Indonesian specialties for her students and for colleagues from around the world. She enjoyed sailing in the Caribbean and family vacations in Brigantine, N.J.

In addition to her husband of 33 years, Dr. Howett is survived by a son, Timothy; a daughter, Julia; her mother, Mary Sheehan; and two brothers

A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the ballroom of the Harrison Hilton Hotel, 1 N. Second St., Harrisburg.

Memorial donations may be made to the Mary K. Howett Scholarship Fund at Drexel University, Office of Institutional Advancement, 3141 Chestnut St., Philadelphia 19104.