2-26-99

RICHARD KLAUSNER TO ADDRESS WINTER QUARTER GRADUATES

   COLUMBUS -- Richard D. Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute, a component of the National Institutes of Health, will serve as The Ohio State University winter quarter commencement speaker March 19 in St. John Arena.

   Some 1,400 degrees will be awarded in the ceremonies, which begin at 9:30 a.m.

   Recognized as one of the 20 most highly cited scientists in the world in the field of biology and biomedical research, Klausner has authored more than 280 scientific articles and several books. His primary research interests include the molecular basis of iron metabolism in humans, the mechanisms of gene regulation, tumor suppressor genes and receptor biology.

   Klausner began his service with the National Institutes of Health in 1979 as a research associate, becoming senior research investigator at the National Institute of Arthritis, Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in 1983. In 1984, he was named chief of the Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, a post he held until 1997.

   He earned his bachelor of science degree from Yale University and his M.D. degree from Duke University. He completed his medical training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard.

   Klausner won the Young Investigator Award from the American Federation of Clinical Research, the William Damashek Prize for Major Discoveries in Hematology and the Distinguished Service Medal from the U.S. Public Health Service. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1993 and chaired the academy’s Executive Editorial Committee of the National Committee on Science Education Standards and Assessment, the first comprehensive attempt to describe a vision of scientific literacy for all students in America.

   In 1994, he served as president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and in 1995 he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Contact: Tracy Turner, University Communications, (614) 688-3682