Awards & Honors

2010 Lasker Award

Jeffrey M. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D.

With the discovery of leptin and Jeffrey Friedman's subsequent studies, the logic of an entirely new physiological system has been established with direct implications for the pathophysiology of human obesity. In addition to providing scientists with a new target for treating obesity, the discovery has helped scientists develop treatments for other metabolic conditions, such as diabetes, and for women with hypothalamic amenorrhea. > full story

2010 Institute of Medicine

Robert B. Darnell, M.D., Ph.D.

Robert B. Darnell's research is concentrated on paraneoplastic syndromes (PNDs, the Paraneoplastic Neurologic Disorders), disorders touching on various clinical and basic aspects of biology including Cancer immunology, Neuroimmunology, and RNA-binding proteins. > full story

Titia de Lange, Ph.D

Titia de Lange studies how the erosion of chromosome ends is related to the development of cancer, focusing on how telomeres protect chromosome ends. The goal of de Lange's research is to understand how telomeres protect chromosome ends, how they interact with and regulate telomerase, and what happens when telomere function is lost. > full story

2010 Heineken Prize for Medicine

Ralph M. Steinman, M.D., Ph.D.

The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences has awarded the Dr A.H. Heineken Prize for Medicine to Ralph M. Steinman "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in the immune response." In 1973, Steinman discovered the dendritic cell, a previously unknown type of white blood cell that acts as the "sentinel" of the immune system, marshaling T cells to fight harmful pathogens and programming other immune cells to recognize safe, endogenous antigens and thus avoid autoimmunity. > full story

2010 Karolinska Institute Bicentennial Gold Medal

Paul Greengard, M.D., Ph.D.

Paul Greengard, a Nobel Prize-winning neurobiologist at Rockefeller University, will receive the Karolinska Institutet's Bicentennial Gold Medal, the Swedish medical university announced today. This medal is the highest award conferred by the Karolinska Institutet during its 200th anniversary celebrations, and recognizes the work of an individual not permanently located at the Karolinska Institutet, who has contributed to and has achieved acknowledged eminence in the university's activities. > full story

2010 Salk Medal for Research Excellence

Robert G. Roeder, Ph.D.

Robert G. Roeder, head of the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, will receive the Salk Institute's Medal for Research Excellence for his contributions to the understanding of RNA synthesis in animal cells. This is only the second time in Salk's 50-year history that medals have been awarded. > full story

2010 L'Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science

Elaine Fuchs, Ph.D.

Elaine Fuchs, Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor and head of the Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development at Rockefeller University, will be the North American recipient of a 2010 L'Oréal-UNESCO Award in the Life Sciences, which recognizes exceptional women scientists. > full story