Department of Internal Medicine Dr. Welsh Receives Second Annual Award For Distinguished Mentoring 10/3/2003 An event hosted by the Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa on Oct. 2 honored Michael J. Welsh, M.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, and the Roy J. Carver Chair of Biomedical Research in the University of Iowa Departments of Internal Medicine and Physiology and Biophysics, as recipient of the second annual Award for Distinguished Mentoring at the Carver College of Medicine. The award honors a UI Carver College of Medicine faculty member whose career includes the mentoring of individuals who have moved on to their own notable careers. Nobel laureate Günter Blobel, M.D., Ph.D., John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Professor at the Rockefeller University, and HHMI Investigator, delivered the second annual Distinguished Mentor's Lecture titled, "Intracellular Protein Traffic." The Distinguished Mentor's Lecture highlights the Award for Distinguished Mentoring by bringing to the UI Carver College of Medicine an eminent scientist and mentor whose research and training embodies the ideals of the Award for Distinguished Mentoring and its recipient. The Award for Distinguished Mentoring and Distinguished Mentor's Lecture are the result of the initiative and a generous anonymous gift from an esteemed alumnus. Three of Welsh's former trainees, Christoph Randak, M.D., Ph.D., UI postdoctoral scholar, Paola Vermeer, Ph.D., UI assistant research scientist, and Christopher Adams, M.D., Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas Southwestern, also gave presentations. Jean Robillard M.D., dean of the UI Carver College of Medicine, presented Welsh with the award and paid tribute to Welsh for his drive for excellence, devotion to his trainees, zeal for science and mentoring, as well as his loyalty to and advocacy for the College, his character, and his love of life and family. Welsh was born and raised in Marshall County, Iowa. He received his medical degree from the UI in 1974. He also completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the UI and subsequently trained in pulmonary medicine and research at the University of California at San Francisco, and in physiology at the University of Texas in Houston. In 1981, he returned to the UI, where he is now a professor of internal medicine and director of the Cystic Fibrosis Research Center. He was appointed an HHMI Investigator and a professor of physiology and biophysics in 1989, and a Roy J. Carver Biomedical Research Chair in 2000. Welsh's clinical activities focus on pulmonary diseases. His research has concentrated on understanding the biology and pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis (CF) and on the development of new treatments for CF and other genetic diseases including gene therapy. He has also investigated the biology of sodium channels involved in sensory functions such as pain, touch and taste. Welsh is a recipient of numerous professional awards and has been elected to membership in several leading scientific organizations, including, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. |