News Release

Michael Czech to receive CIIT Founders' Award

Grant and Award Announcement

CIIT - Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology

Dr. Michael P. Czech, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, will be the 31st recipient of the CIIT Founders' Award, presented annually to recognize career contributions to human health research and risk assessment.

Professor Czech is being honored for his pioneering work on the molecular action of insulin on glucose transport and its impact on the study of diabetes. He is also recognized for adding to the fundamental knowledge of the cell signaling process, which improves our understanding of potential actions of environmental endocrine-active compounds.

The Founders' Award will be presented at the public session of CIIT's Annual Meeting, May 9, at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 201 Harrison Oaks Blvd., Cary, NC. Following the presentation Dr. Czech will speak on "Fat as an Endocrine Organ: Target for Environmental Toxins."

Dr. Czech received a B.A. degree in chemistry from Brown University in 1967, an M.A. in biochemistry from Duke University in 1969, and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Brown University in 1972. He was a U.S. Public Health Service postdoctoral fellow at Duke from 1972 to 1974. He was a faculty member in Medical Science at Brown University from 1974 to 1981. He joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1981 as Professor and Chair and became Director of the Program in Molecular Medicine in 1989. He is also affiliated with the Center for AIDS Research. Over 40 fellows and other postdoctoral personnel have trained in his laboratory.

He is the co-author of over 200 scientific publications and has been a member of numerous scientific advisory boards and review panels. He has served on the editorial boards of 18 scientific journals. His work has been recognized with many awards, most recently the 2000 Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement by the American Diabetes Association.

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CIIT is a scientifically independent, not-for-profit institute, focusing on environmental and human health research. It is supported by 34 member companies and the Chemical Manufacturers Association. CIIT is dedicated to world-class research that can be used to develop regulations and voluntary programs to help ensure the safe use of chemicals. Its research is published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.


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