Newswise — The Endocrine Society leadership is sad to announce that valued member, Dr. John D. Baxter, died on October 5, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Dr. Baxter served as president of The Endocrine Society from June 2002 to June 2003.
Dr. Baxter was the recipient of the Society’s Fred Conrad Koch Award in 2007, the highest honor bestowed by the Society. He received the award for his pioneering research in molecular endocrinology that shifted paradigms and led to therapeutic and agricultural advances with impact far beyond the field of endocrinology. His early work in cloning and recombinant protein production provided the basis for the biotechnology industry. By cloning the growth hormone family of genes and through subsequent studies, Dr. Baxter made tremendous contributions to the understanding of growth and development and established a model for advances in developmental biology. The availability of recombinant growth hormone has had a major medical impact on GH therapy for children.
“We will greatly miss John’s passion and leadership,” said Scott Hunt, executive director and CEO of The Endocrine Society. “He was a pioneer in the field of endocrinology and had enormous impact in bringing life-changing medical discoveries to the clinic.”
At the time of his death, Dr. Baxter was director of the Genomic Medicine Program at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute in Houston, Texas. Additional honors bestowed upon Dr. Baxter during his distinguished career include being elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He also received the Outstanding Investigator Award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society’s membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endo-society.org.
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