Four Honored with Distinguished Scientist Awards
Four pre-eminent researchers have been chosen to receive 2008-09 Distinguished Scientist Awards from the University of Virginia.
Posted 06/10/09
Clockwise from left: Richard L. Guerrant, Michael Menaker, J. Thomas Parsons, and Michael J. Weber
Photos by Dan Addison and Tom Cogill
Four pre-eminent researchers – Richard L. Guerrant, Michael Menaker, J. Thomas Parsons, and Michael J. Weber – have been chosen to receive 2008-09 Distinguished Scientist Awards from the University of Virginia.
This award, created by the Office of the Vice President for Research, honors longtime faculty in the sciences, medicine and engineering who have made extensive and influential contributions to their fields.
"There was an extremely strong slate of nominees for this important award this year," Thomas C. Skalak, vice president for research, said. "The four awardees represent the pinnacle of research at U.Va. Their influential discoveries in biological timing, infectious diseases and cell signaling and migration not only have had significant impact in their respective fields, but also have long-term implications for human health."
Michael Menaker is regarded as a trailblazer in the modern field of circadian rhythms. "Menaker's discoveries about circadian rhythms have been truly groundbreaking," Meredith Jung-En Woo, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, said. "They bring distinction to the College and the Department of Biology, and they have become the basis on which scientists around the world are deepening our knowledge of biological timing. It is indeed fitting for the University to honor him with its Distinguished Scientist Award."
Richard Guerrant is a world-renowned expert in the understanding, diagnosis and prevention of intestinal infections. J. Thomas Parsons and Michael Weber are widely recognized as foremost researchers in cell signaling, with Parsons focusing on cell migration and Weber focusing on targeted therapies. As long-term colleagues and collaborators, they have worked together to elevate U.Va.'s reputation in these areas.
Dr. Steven T. DeKosky, vice president and dean of U.Va.'s School of Medicine, said the trio sets an outstanding example for faculty to emulate.
"Their tireless work on behalf of their science has laid the foundation for groundbreaking work in the areas of intestinal infections and cell signaling," he said.
"Dick Guerrant is a recognized leader in the field of tropical medicine and has been recognized time and time again by his peers for his contributions to global health. Tom Parsons leads the University of Virginia's largest research grant, with his stewardship of the Cell Migration Consortium. This grant of over $80 million is a textbook example of global cooperation in science. Mike Weber's research has the potential to unlock many of the mysteries of cancer and allow for better targeted therapies to treat this deadly disease."
Nominations for the Distinguished Scientist Award are accepted from U.Va. faculty and department chairmen. A panel of faculty peers judges the nominees based on publications, awards, peer reviews and impact upon a field of study, both nationally and internationally. Awardees receive a $10,000 grant to enhance their research activities.
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Guerrant, Thomas H. Hunter Professor of International Medicine, has been conducting research projects abroad with U.Va. students for more than 30 years. He founded and directs the Center for Global Health, a Universitywide initiative that addresses critical global health challenges. Guerrant's research has demonstrated that early childhood diarrhea can lead to serious physical and cognitive impairments later in life. He translated this basic research into preventive treatments that have improved the health and well-being of countless children in developing countries.
Guerrant received his doctor of medicine from the U.Va. School of Medicine in 1968. He trained in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Harvard Medical Service in the Boston City Hospital, the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine before returning to U.Va. as chief resident and instructor in medicine in 1972. In 1978, Guerrant received tenure and founded the Division of Geographic and International Medicine.
Guerrant has trained more than 150 postdoctoral fellows and students and has written more than 500 scientific and clinical articles. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. He recently received the Walter Reed Medal from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
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Circadian rhythms are commonly referenced in conjunction with sleep/wake patterns, but they affect many more physiological parameters, including blood pressure and body temperature. Research by Menaker, Commonwealth Professor of Biology, has focused around understanding the complexities of the circadian clock system and how it is organized within an organism. His pioneering circadian biology experiments demonstrated that a master, regulatory clock exists in a specific region of the hypothalamus. In more recent years, Menaker has been working to understand how this hypothalamic clock coordinates other clocks throughout the body.
Menaker received his Ph.D. in biology from Princeton University in 1960. He went on to work at Harvard University, the University of Texas and the University of Oregon before becoming chairman of the University of Virginia's Department of Biology in 1984.
Menaker has received a number of prominent honors, including election to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Photobiology. He has published 219 papers, including several that are routinely cited. In addition, he has trained more than 50 students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the field. His seminal research and careful mentoring of a generation of chronobiologists have prompted his reputation as the "scientific father" of the field.
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Parsons, professor and chairman of microbiology and F. Palmer Weber Professor of Medical Research, studies cell migration. Since directed cell movement is implicated in development, tissue regeneration and disease, an understanding of these fundamental processes is critical to solving countless medical problems. Parsons opened new lines of inquiry with his discovery and characterization of several novel proteins. One of these proteins, focal adhesion kinase (FAK), was found to have a role in disease progression, particularly in cancer. Parsons' research has led to drugs now in human trials against metastatic cancer that inhibit the activity of FAK.
Parsons received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Duke University in 1968. He trained in chemistry and molecular biology at Duke, St. Louis University and Universitat Zurich before coming to the U.Va. Department of Microbiology in 1974. Parsons received tenure in 1984 and for the past 15 years has served as chairman of the Department of Microbiology.
Parsons has published 174 papers, including six that have been cited more than 500 times. He has been very successful in attracting external funding, including the largest research grant made yet to the University, an over $80 million National Institutes of Health award for the Cell Migration Consortium, a large-scale, interdisciplinary effort led by Parsons and Alan "Rick" Horwitz, professor of cell biology, that unites top researchers from around the globe in the quest to understand the complexities of cell migration.
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Weber, professor of microbiology, Marion McNulty and Malvin C. Weaver Professor of Oncology and director of the U.Va. Cancer Center, uses cell biology, protein chemistry and molecular biology to understand cell growth and death on the molecular level. Weber launched a new field of research with his work on mitogen-activated protein kinases – a family of proteins that play a central role in normal and diseased cells. Weber's research has opened new possibilities for treating cancer and has profoundly influenced cell regulation, not only in cancer, but in inflammation, diabetes, and infectious diseases.
Weber earned a Ph.D. in cell biology from the University of California at San Diego in 1968. He completed postdoctoral work in tumor virology at the University of California at Berkeley, and was a Dernham Postdoctoral Fellow of the American Cancer Society before coming to U.Va. as a full professor in 1984.
Weber has consistently attracted research funding from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He ranks among the top 1 percent of scientists for paper citations in the Molecular Biology & Genetics category, according to Thomson Reuters. In addition, Weber received a prestigious MERIT award from the National Cancer Institute.
