Liana Romeovna Artinian

Liana Romeovna Artinian (born Liana Romeovna Arutunova), 63, of Pine Lake, GA, passed away on March 9th, 2023 after a brave two-year battle with late-stage ovarian cancer.

Liana lived an incredibly full life, and what follows is a sliver of her many passions, adventures and achievements, and the many lives she touched.

Liana was born on September 29th, 1959 to Alla Sergeevna Arutunova and Romeo Sergeevich Arutunov, in Nalchik, Soviet Union, a picturesque resort town at the foothills of the Caucasus

Mountains.

Liana was a vivacious, original, bright and independent spirit right from the beginning. She excelled in school coming in consistently top of class and winning numerous medals in science and math competitions. She went on to study medicine at the renowned Moscow State University, where her talent for and love of science grew.

In 1991, shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, Liana emigrated to the United States with her daughter and former husband. She worked hard to learn English fluently and to establish her academic science career in America. Liana completed her P.h.D. in Physiology in 2001, and continued her research work in neuroscience with a focus on circadian rhythms at the University of Illinois School of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Champaign-Urbana. She worked tirelessly at the lab, running many experiments into the night and building strong bonds with her fellow lab

colleagues.

In 2001 Liana moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to escape the harsh midwestern winters, and to take on a postdoctoral research fellowship opportunity at Emory University. Then in 2006, Liana took on a role as senior researcher at Georgia State University in the Department of Biology, where she thrived working in the laboratory of Vincent Rehder, a truly kind and valued mentor in Liana's life. During Liana's prolific scientific career, she was published 24 times with over 800 citations for her work.

She eventually transitioned to being a full-time lecturing professor at Georgia State, and fully embraced the art of teaching. Her classrooms ranged from big auditoriums to intimate classrooms, and finally virtual ones in the days of covid. Liana's students loved her, and she worked tirelessly to pass on her passion and knowledge. Liana never took one sick day throughout her cancer treatment, so committed was she to her teaching duties. Liana's heart was a open and loving as her mind was brilliant. Family and friendships were central to her life. Liana was an incredibly selfless, doting and loving mother, daughter, sister, partner and friend. She took pride in her Armenian and Russian roots and worked hard to map her ancestry and genealogy. In mid-life she was able to track down two long-lost siblings, Ganna and Romeo living in Germany. They quickly built a close bond and visited each other many times.

Liana is also survived by her aunt Julia and uncle Valeriy, sister Ella, her brothers Sergey and Leon, her daughter Ilina and son-in-law James, her grandson Eddie, and longtime beloved partner Tone.

Her major passions were the outdoors and nature. It was in Atlanta that Liana discovered Hash House Harriers, an international group humorously known as "a running club with a drinking problem". These running events, called hashes, took place in various outdoor locations in Georgia, from woodlands and swamps to mountains and lakes. Her hashing nickname Dain Bramage was a clever homage to her neuroscience profession, and embodied her wonderful sense of humor. The hashing community was where Liana really felt at home and built life-long friendships, which were an incredible source of support especially in the days of her illness. Liana was a very talented guitar player and singer, frequently entertaining friends with her beautiful songs around campfires and on couches, in both Russian and English. She was also skilled on the piano - this runs in the family, her sister Ella is a highly accomplished pianist professionally - and Liana loved both classical pieces as well as folk and country songs. She was also a wonderful cook, making staple Georgian and Russian dishes such as her famous eggplant and carrot salad.

What simply cannot be captured on the page is Liana's spirit. Everyone who knew her

immediately warmed to her. She was so full of life, so caring, vibrant and fun-loving, and so generous with her time and home. Liana took life by storm, and built friendships wherever she went. Her house was a constant gathering place for loved ones, for good times, songs, laughs and long meals.

Liana was able to spend her last days just as she wanted - surrounded by family and dear friends in the comfort of her beautiful home in Pine Lake, and got to meet and spend precious time with her seven-week-old grandson Eddie.

She was taken from us far, far too soon by a lethal disease that currently has no established early screening or detection methods. In lieu of flowers, it would be so appreciated if you could please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, the largest global nonprofit advancing ovarian cancer research while supporting women and their families.

https://ocrahope.org

Please do share any memories or stories of Liana you have, so we can continue to remember and celebrate her.