Academy Members

Henry H. Balfour, Jr., M.D. Professor, Medical School

 Henry Balfour, Jr., M.D., is internationally known for his leadership in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of viral diseases including HIV and herpesviruses, especially Epstein-Barr virus. He worked to develop novel viral diagnostic tests, and his clinical research on antiviral drugs and vaccines has led to new treatments and better care for patients worldwide.

Matthew F. Mescher, Ph.D. Professor, Medical School

A world leader in immunology, Matthew F. Mescher focuses on understanding CD8 T lymphocytes. He began with ground-breaking discoveries about their structure and signaling mechanisms; he continues with recent studies about possibilities of manipulating the responses of these T-cells, with ramifications for treatments extending from cancer to infectious disease.

Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H. Professor, School of Public Health

Michael T. Osterholm is an internationally recognized expert on infectious disease epidemiology, including such global threats to public health as bioterrorism, pandemic influenza, and food-borne disease. He also developed new approaches to public health disease surveillance and outbreak response. Osterholm's work has resulted in public health policies and practices that improve lives around the globe.

Jean F. Wyman, Ph.D. Professor, School of Nursing

Jean Wyman, Ph.D., is an internationally known nursing scholar who has advanced the field of geriatric nursing and leads the Minnesota Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence. Through her NIH-funded research on behavioral, pharmacological and surgical interventions for urinary
incontinence, she has transformed care and improved aging adults' quality of
life.

Karen Hsiao Ashe, Ph.D., M.D.

Karen Hsiao Ashe, Director of the N. Bud Grossman Center for Memory Research and Care, and holder of the Edmund Wallace and Anne Marie Tulloch Chairs in Neurology and Neuroscience, is an internationally recognized leader in the field of Alzheimer’s research. She discovered that amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which were long considered to be the cause of Alzheimer’s disease, in reality, play only a minor role in the development of the cognitive problems and neuronal loss characteristic of this illness. She has demonstrated that an abnormal form of a normal brain protein disrupts cognitive function, long before brain cells die, and that this abnormal protein may be the causal agent which initiates Alzheimer’s disease. She has also created transgenic mice modeling Alzheimer’s disease that are among the most commonly used models in the world. Dr. Ashe’s findings have broad implications for the early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Bruce R. Blazar, M.D.

Bruce R. Blazar is an internationally recognized expert in bone marrow transplantation. He has discovered new mechanisms responsible for bone marrow transplantation complications in preclinical studies. With these insights, Blazar has developed important therapies designed to improve the outcome of bone marrow transplantation that currently are being used in the clinic.

One recent novel cell therapy being tested in the clinic is a population of immune suppressor cells isolated from peripheral blood or umbilical cord blood that Blazar has been shown to be especially promising in reducing bone marrow transplantation complications in preclinical studies. Several other of his studies have provided the basis for new pharmacological and protein therapies that have reduced serious side-effects of bone marrow transplantation.

Eric A. Newman, Ph.D.

Eric A. Newman, a Distinguished McKnight University Professor of Neuroscience, is an internationally recognized leader in the field of glial cell biology. He discovered that glial cells, which were long considered to be simple passive support cells in the central nervous system, in reality play an active role in brain function. He has demonstrated that glial cells communicate with each other over long distances via their own private signaling network, that these cells control the extracellular ionic environment in which brain neurons function, and that glial cells, by releasing transmitters, modulate the electrical activity of neurons. He has also demonstrated that glial cells mediate activity-induced changes in blood flow, a response that is the basis of functional brain imaging. Dr. Newman’s findings have broad implications for brain function, suggesting that glial cells play an essential role in many key brain processes.

Mary T. Story Ph.D., R.D.

Mary T. Story is a Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, at the University of Minnesota. She is the Director of the National Program Office for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Healthy Eating Research program which supports research on environmental and policy strategies to promote healthy eating among children to prevent childhood obesity, especially among low-income and racial/ethnic populations at greatest risk for obesity. Dr. Story has her Ph.D. in Nutrition and her interests are in the area of child and adolescent nutrition, and obesity prevention. Her research focuses on understanding the multiple factors related to eating behaviors of youth, and environmental, community, and school-based interventions and strategies for obesity prevention, healthy eating and physical activity. She has published widely in the area of child and adolescent nutrition and obesity and has received several awards for her work. She is currently on the editorial boards for three professional journals. She was a member of the Institute of Medicine committee on Food Marketing to Children and Youth and the Institute of Medicine committee on Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools.

Aaron R. Folsom, M.D., M.P.H.

Aaron R. Folsom is recognized worldwide as one of the top cardiovascular epidemiologists. An expert on novel and established cardiovascular disease risk factors, Folsom has conducted large, observational research studies that have explored susceptibility to diabetes, atherosclerosis and obesity.

He is a principal investigator of the 20-year-old Iowa Women’s Health Study, which tests the hypothesis that body fat distribution may contribute to chronic disease incidence. This study has led to more than 200 publications about lifestyle, diet and cancer. Folsom also recently performed a study that showed reduced diabetes risk is associated with coffee-drinking.

Stephen S. Hecht, Ph.D.

Stephen S. Hecht is an internationally recognized expert on the mechanisms by which cancer-causing agents are activated and detoxified, and on their DNA interactions. His studies on carcinogens found in tobacco products, the human diet and the general environment have had major impacts scientifically and have influenced tobacco regulatory policies.

In one recent study, Hecht and his colleagues detected carcinogens in the urine of infants whose mothers smoked. This was one of a series of studies which provided strong supporting evidence that secondhand smoke causes lung cancer in non-smokers. Another Hecht study found "light" tobacco products are just as harmful as regular products, based on carcinogen uptake.

Harry T. Orr, Ph.D.

Harry T. Orr’s innovative research explores genes that play a role in neuron deterioration. His research offers important implications for developing genetic and other types of therapies for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.

Orr discovered the genetic basis for an inherited neurodegenerative disorder in humans called spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). This made possible genetic counseling for SCA1 and has set the stage for the development of a drug to treat the condition.

James G. White, M.D.

An expert with the electron microscope, James G. White studies platelets, which are critical for normal blood clotting. White is responsible for major breakthroughs in the understanding of the changes in function that accompany many blood disorders. These discoveries have helped doctors better treat patients with bleeding and clotting disorders.

White discovered a form of the Hermansky-Pudlak Syndrome that consists of albinism and a bleeding disorder. He has since diagnosed more than 260 cases of the syndrome. He also recently discovered a platelet disorder called the White Platelet Syndrome.

Apostolos Georgopoulos, M.D., Ph.D.

Apostolos Georgopoulos is a world- renowned neuroscientist and holder of a McKnight Presidential Endowed Chair. He is widely referenced for his work involving the motor cortex, the part of our brain that controls voluntary movements, and his contributions to the elucidation of brain mechanisms underlying cognitive functions, such as mental rotation and memory scanning.

Dwight Anderson, Ph.D.

Dwight Anderson has devoted his scientific energies for four decades to studying a virus, bacteriophage ø29, from its characterization after isolation from soil on the St. Paul campus, through analyzing its structural components, and into understanding its mechanisms at the atomic level.

Robert P. Hebbel, M.D.

Robert P. Hebbel is an international leader in the investigation of vascular pathobiology of sickle cell disease. Beginning with pioneering breakthroughs early in his research career, his work has led to paradigm shifts in understanding and therapies for sickle cell disease. Hebbel leads one of the most productive sickle cell research programs in the world.

Robert L. Kane, M.D.

Robert L. Kane is a world leader in geriatric health care research. His extensive work on aging and outcomes of care has made an impact nationally and internationally and has resulted in improved care of individuals. Kane is currently working with the government of Taiwan to develop a universal system for long-term care.

Marc K. Jenkins, Ph.D.

One of the top immunologists internationally, Marc Jenkins devised a method to track T cells and visualize cell-to-cell interactions in vivo in the generation of an immune response. His discoveries are crucial to the understanding of how the immune system keeps people healthy and, sometimes, makes them ill.

Hon Cheung Lee, Ph.D. 

Hon Cheung Lee led the way in the study of calcium signaling and his discovery of two novel messenger molecules has pioneered investigations on calcium-based mechanisms in a wide range of physiological functions. His innovative research has made him internationally renowned. In addition, he has been generous in collaborating with colleagues worldwide and nurturing young researchers.

2003 Inductees 

Jay N. Cohn, M.D.

Jay N. Cohn, M.D., is widely cited as the father of contemporary therapy for heart failure. His extensive research over the last 40 years has led to the current understanding of cardiovascular disease management. His contributions to the fields of hypertension and congestive heart failure have played a crucial role in cardiac diagnosis and management. 

Horace H. Loh, Ph.D.

Horace H. Loh, Ph.D., is recognized for his contributions to addictive disease research. His work, by explaining the biochemical and molecular bases of opiates effect on the brain, has provided important insights for treating opiate addiction. His research also has led to the development of new and better drugs for pain relief.

Ashley T. Haase, M.D.

Over the past 25 years, Ashley T. Haase, M.D., has distinguished himself as one of the world's foremost investigators of viral pathogenesis. He has been a principal figure in HIV research since the virus was first identified and has been instrumental in determining the origination and development of HIV and other lentiviruses.

Philip S. Portoghese, Ph.D.

Philip S. Portoghese, Ph.D., has gained a reputation for his major contributions to medical chemistry. He is recognized around the world as an expert on opioid receptors. His research has been critically important to understanding pain management and the addiction and tolerance to morphine-like pain relievers.