It’s not an exaggeration to say that that Kome’s strength of character echoed through both the people she worked with and the work she did.

I didn’t work closely or frequently with Kome, but the times I did work with her, she was a pleasure to work with or to simply be around. The very fact that I can remember our first few interactions when she joined the department (mundanely, it was just giving her a hand setting up MS Office on her laptop because I was in the same room at the time), speaks to her character.

Another memory I have of Kome is working with her to develop a logo for the CUTI study, and her feedback and delight with the final product.

The world is poorer for her loss. But I hope her family can take some solace in the words of the people she touched and the impact she made on the world, which I believe will continue to echo through us all.