Lauren Frances Collins

Lauren Frances Collins died at age 38 on January 23, 2026, at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. She was born to Pamela Claire Kelly and Patrick Joseph Kelly in Hamilton, Bermuda in 1987. She is survived by her husband Matthew Harmon Collins, two children Cedar Santiago Collins and Zipporah Sage Collins, parents, and three sisters Claire Marie Sheffield, Caitlin Elizabeth Hobgood, and Tara Ella Savage, along with a large extended family and vast network of friends and colleagues. Lauren was a devoted mother, wife, sister, daughter, and friend to many. She was deeply invested in family and community. She was amazing in so many ways and grew fully into the totality of her beauty in becoming a mother to Cedar and Zippy. Her sturdy leadership, intentional approach to all things important, and even a bit of newly developed patience forged a path of growth, giggles, corrected homework, decorated cakes, hugs, and hard things done. She loved planning trips and embarking on adventures with her family, to distant countries and to the natural solace of the nearby Appalachian Mountains. She found laughter, levity, strength, and solidarity on date nights and gatherings with girlfriends and her mom group, among many other strong and lovely women. By tapping into the most high-powered group text threads ever established, she could producereferen, referral, recommendation, insight, suggestion, or opinion in minutes - never a shortage of opinions. Large four-story lodges were rented in unsuccessful attempts to contain the beautiful chaos that was family reunions, most recently in Pigeon Forge, TN. Once or twice a year, she was a favorite mystery reader at her children's elementary schools, and one of her greatest honors was when a first-grade class chose the book Secret Pizza Party that she read to represent in the annual character parade. She accumulated connections to kindred spirits across all phases of life, from a lifelong childhood friend that became a godparent to her daughter, to a medical school professor that still sends a holiday card and shares Lauren's appreciation for hand-written letters, to partners in providing exceptional clinical care to patients without exception and crafting intelligent, intentional, and dignified research endeavors to improve the lives of those same patients. She and her three sisters shared a bond so deep and genuine that it was often remarked upon-a fierce love and laughter that defined them as much as it sustained them.In her professional life, Lauren lived out her passion and initiated waves of progress that will continue to reverberate for years. She graduated with a degree in Microbiology from the University of Georgia Honors College. She completed medical school at Boston University and Boston Medical Center, taking an extra year to research tuberculosis in Boston and in Espiritu Santo, Brazil. She began her career as an Infectious Diseases clinician-investigator during her Internal Medicine Residence at Duke University, where she researched disease markers and risk for adverse outcomes in patients with advanced HIV. She completed her Infectious Diseases Fellowship, including a Master of Clinical Research, at Emory University in 2020,joining the faculty of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Emory School of Medicine. She practiced at Grady Memorial Hospital and the Ponce de Leon Center, pouring her heart and characteristic determination into helping patients living with HIV. Loved by all her patients, she was an empathetic and tireless advocate, and she worked ardently to break down stigma and barriers to care. She cared for patients in ways that best worked for them. Through her compassionate and dedicated leadership in the clinic and her research,she implemented innovative approaches to deliver HIV treatment that were centered in equity and collaboration.Her work will have lasting impact on her patients, those who worked alongside her, and the entire field.
Family and Friends will gather for a visitation Friday January 30, 2026 at A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory, 2773 N. Decatur Rd. Decatur, GA 30033. A funeral service will be held in honor of Lauren Frances Collins at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 636 W. Ponce de Leon Decatur, GA 30030, on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at 11:30 AM. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Lauren's honor to The Ponce de Leon Center or RedefinED Atlanta.