Dr. Joseph Anthony Grillo, Jr., 56 of Winchester, VA, passed away on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH.

Joe was born in 1968 in Brooklyn, NY, the son of Lucy (Rapoli) Grillo and the late Joseph Anthony Grillo, Sr. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Pharmacy from Long Island University and went on to earn his Ph.D. in Pharmacy from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Over the course of his 30-year career, Joe was respected, lauded, and beloved as a dedicated public servant and tireless patient advocate, most notably through various leadership positions for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). As Associate Director for Labeling and Health Communication in the Office of Clinical Pharmacology, he focused on ensuring patients, families, and health care providers had the best available information to make optimum treatment decisions. In his role as Senior Clinical Pharmacologist, he was committed to the development of safe and effective treatments for people with cancer. Joe received many awards for his work, including distinctions for team excellence and excellence in communication. He was motivated by generating and utilizing new knowledge and was a major contributor to scientific literature.

Joe was equally passionate about the discipline of clinical pharmacy and training the next generation of pharmacists and pharmacologists. Since 2013, he has been an Adjunct Professor for Pharmaceutics at Virginia Commonwealth University. He served as an Assistant Professor at Shenandoah University from 1998-2000, and as Assistant Professor at St. John’s University in New York City from 1996-1998.

As a medical professional and leader, Joe’s contributions in the field have and will continue to make global impact, and he will be greatly missed by his colleagues and friends at the US FDA and throughout the world. Closer to home, from his roots in the New York City area to friends in Virginia who had become second family, his warmth of spirit, sense of humor, genuine kindness, and boundless generosity are a legacy and inspiration that will not be forgotten by the many lives he touched.

Joe’s unique place in his close-knit family—where he was more like everyone’s best friend in addition to being a thoughtful father, son, supportive brother, and good-hearted uncle—has always felt rare, special, and too good for this world. While he is deeply mourned for leaving it far too soon, loved ones are comforted and grateful for the wondrous gift of his presence in their lives, and the cherished memories they will continue to share.

Joe is survived by his mother, Lucy Grillo; daughter, Gabriella Ann Grillo of Winchester, VA; sister, Grace Forte (Anthony) of Staten Island, NY; and his brother, Patrick Grillo (Kathleen) of New City, NY.

A Mass of Christian Burial to be conducted on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 12pm at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Winchester, VA, with Father Jerome Fasano officiating. A time of food and fellowship will follow Mass at Omps Funeral Home, Amherst Reception Center. Interment will be private in Cool Springs Natural Cemetery, Berryville, VA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in memory of Joseph to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000, Dept.142, Memphis, TN 38148.