image: Drs. Joseph Goldstein (seated), Donald Seldin (center) and Michael Brown have won Research!America's inaugural Builders of Science Award for their achievements in developing UT Southwestern into one of the world's premier research institutions. view more
Credit: UT Southwestern Medical Center
DALLAS – March 20, 2007 – Two Nobel laureates from UT Southwestern Medical Center and their mentor, a distinguished chair of internal medicine at this institution, will receive Research!America's inaugural Builders of Science Award for their achievements in developing UT Southwestern into one of the world's premier research institutions.
Drs. Michael Brown, Joseph Goldstein and Donald Seldin will be honored today in Washington, D.C. at the 11th annual Research!America Advocacy Awards gala.
Research!America is the nation's largest not-for-profit public education and advocacy alliance. Its mission is to make health research a higher national priority, and its awards are given to individuals and organizations that advance that mission.
Drs. Brown and Goldstein shared the 1985 Nobel Prize for their discovery of the underlying mechanisms of cholesterol metabolism. Their findings led to the development of statin drugs, the cholesterol-lowering compounds that are now among the most important widely prescribed medications in the world.
Dr. Seldin, an intellectual cornerstone of UT Southwestern Medical School since the 1950s and chairman of internal medicine from 1952 to 1988, built a department recognized as one of the best in the country. His encyclopedic grasp of medicine and creative energy established a climate at UT Southwestern that attracted superior faculty and ensured an institutional commitment to excellence.
"Research!America's new Builders of Science Award was established to recognize those who have provided inspiration and determination in building an outstanding home for research," said Mary Woolley, president of Research!America. "We are proud to present our inaugural award to Donald W. Seldin and Nobel laureates Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein for their leadership genius in helping build The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center into the world-class research facility it is today."
Dr. Kern Wildenthal, president of UT Southwestern, said, "This recognition reflects the decades-long dedication of Drs. Donald Seldin, Mike Brown and Joe Goldstein in championing UT Southwestern's commitment to excellence in biomedical research, patient care and education. They have been instrumental in generating an atmosphere of scientific excitement that leads to breakthroughs in medicine.
"The decision by Research!America to name them as the very first recipients of this new award to recognize achievements in building great medical research centers is a tremendous honor for them and for UT Southwestern."
Dr. Goldstein, a graduate of UT Southwestern Medical School, is chairman of molecular genetics at UT Southwestern and Regental Professor of the UT System. He also holds both the Julie and Louis A. Beecherl Jr. Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science and the Paul J. Thomas Chair in Medicine.
Dr. Brown is Regental Professor of the UT System and at UT Southwestern directs the Erik Jonsson Center for Research in Molecular Genetics and Human Disease. He holds the W.A. (Monty) Moncrief Distinguished Chair in Cholesterol and Arteriosclerosis Research and the Paul J. Thomas Chair in Medicine.
Dr. Seldin is a UT System professor of internal medicine and holds the William Buchanan Chair in Internal Medicine.
About UT Southwestern Medical Center
UT Southwestern Medical Center, one of the premier medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. Its nearly 1,500 full-time faculty members – including four active Nobel Prize winners, more than any other medical school in the world – are responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and are committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in 40 specialties to about 92,000 hospitalized patients and oversee 1.7 million outpatient visits a year.
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Dr. Michael Brown - http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,10894,00.html
Dr. Joseph Goldstein - http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,10894,00.html
Dr. Donald Seldin - http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,16511,00.html
Dr. Kern Wildenthal - http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,17954,00.html