January 9, 2003
Klausner to present Benditt Lecture
Dr. Richard Klausner, executive director of the Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and former director of the National Cancer Institute, will present the Department of Pathology’s 7th Annual Benditt Lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 15, at noon in Hogness Auditorium at the Health Sciences Center. His topic is “Molecular Medicine in the Post-Genome Era.” The lecture is free and open to everyone.
The lectureship is dedicated to the memory and scientific legacy of Dr. Earl P. Benditt, professor with the Department of Pathology from 1957 until his death in 1996, and department chair from 1957 to 1981.
As executive directive of the Global Health Program, Klausner manages the Gates Foundation’s mission to improve global health equity by accelerating the development, deployment and sustainability of tools and technologies that will save lives and dramatically reduce the disease burden in the developing world. The three priority areas of the Global Health Program’s strategic focus are infectious diseases, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and reproductive and child health.
Klausner, who joined the Gates Foundation last May, directed the National Cancer Institute (NCI) from 1995 to 2001, managing a $4.5 billion budget and a staff of 5,000 employees. At the NCI he oversaw one of the largest clinical trial, drug development and surveillance programs worldwide, including administration of the second-largest HIV/AIDS program. Along with Dr. Anthony Fauci, Klausner also managed the creation and development of the Vaccine Research Center.
Widely known for his work in cell and molecular biology, Klausner was chief of the cell biology and metabolism branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. He has also served on numerous advisory committees and is the past president of the American Society for Clinical Investigation. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine. Klausner received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his medical degree from Duke University. After postgraduate medical training at Harvard, he began his research career at the National Institutes of Health.
