Newswise — Russel E. Kaufman, M.D., president and CEO of The Wistar Institute, will receive the 2009 Professional Achievement Award from the Ohio State University Alumni Association in recognition of his superb record of distinguished career accomplishments and community service, and outstanding contributions to the fields of medicine and biomedical research.
“For 50 years the Ohio State Alumni Association has recognized and celebrated its distinguished alumni for professional excellence within our chosen fields,” said Kaufman. “I am deeply honored to earn this recognition from the very institution that provided me with the strong foundation from which to pursue my academic interests and personal mission to improve public health.”
Since 2002, Kaufman has served as president and CEO of The Wistar Institute, an independent, non-profit biomedical research center in Philadelphia. Wistar is a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center; Kaufman also serves as cancer center director. In addition to his administrative leadership of Wistar, Kaufman maintains an active research program at the Institute, investigating the genetics of blood diseases and cancer. During Kaufman’s tenure at Wistar, he has significantly raised the international profile of the Institute by recruiting top-notch scientists, developing new biomedical research centers and expanding scientific programs and facilities.
Speeding progress along the path of scientific discovery from the laboratory to treatments, preventions and cures for patients has been a hallmark of Kaufman’s career and a point of focus. He has been a pace-setter for the growing life sciences industry in the greater Philadelphia region, serving in leadership advisory roles for the CEO Council for Growth, the Greater Philadelphia Life Sciences Congress, the University City Science Center, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, BioAdvance – Biotechnology Greenhouse Corporation of Southeastern Pennsylvania, and others. Kaufman also shares his expertise in biomedical research compliance as a consultant to numerous organizations.
With long-standing interests in both basic and applied cancer research, Kaufman has held leadership positions in national academic organizations in internal medicine and on committees within the National Institutes of Health, the National Academy of Sciences and the American Association of Medical Colleges. A fellow of the College of Physicians, he has received honors and awards for his work from the March of Dimes, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, the Arthritis Foundation and others. The American Cancer Society awarded Kaufman with the 2008 Southeast Region Cancer Control Award, in recognition of his exemplary individual achievements in the field of cancer control. Kaufman was also named one of the first Searle Scholars, a prestigious program that supports top-flight academic research in biomedicine and chemistry.
Prior to leading The Wistar Institute, Kaufman was vice dean for education and academic affairs for the Duke University School of Medicine and associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Duke University Health System. He was also a professor of medicine and biochemistry at Duke.
Kaufman earned his B.S. in zoology/biochemistry from The Ohio State University in 1968, and his M.D., cum laude, from The Ohio State University School of Medicine in 1973. He has received numerous honors from his alma mater, including: the Roche Molecular Biochemicals Distinguished Graduate Seminar Award (1969); induction into the OSU chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society (1972); the Department of Medicine Award (1973); the Whatman Achievement Award (1973); and the School of Medicine’s Alumni Achievement Award (1993).
Kaufman will receive the Professional Achievement Award at the 51st annual Ohio State University Alumni Awards ceremony Sept. 25, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research with special expertise in cancer research and vaccine development. Founded in 1892 as the first independent nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, Wistar has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute. The Institute works actively to ensure that research advances move from the laboratory to the clinic as quickly as possible. The Wistar Institute: Today’s Discoveries – Tomorrow’s Cures. On the Web at www.wistar.org.
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