"This is a great honor for me personally and a wonderful credit to the outstanding scientific environment here at UT Southwestern," said Dr. Nestler, who also is a member of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine, to which he was elected in 1998.
The196 fellows and 17 foreign honorary members elected today included such well-known figures as Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist, journalist Tom Brokaw, actor and director Sidney Poitier, and Nobel laureate Dr. Eric Cornell.
Dr. Nestler is internationally known for his groundbreaking research on drug addiction and psychiatric disorders, focusing on providing new insight into the genetic, molecular and biochemical factors associated with both mental illnesses and drug addiction. Under his leadership, UT Southwestern researchers hope to unlock some of the complicated questions surrounding mental disorders and addiction, with the objective of finding new and better treatments.
Dr. Nestler left Yale University in September 2000 to join UT Southwestern, where he holds the Lou and Ellen McGinley Distinguished Chair in Psychiatric Research.
Congress enacted the American Academy's charter in 1780. Today the academy consists of 4,000 fellows and 600 foreign honorary members who exemplify achievement in science, scholarship, the arts and public affairs. The American Academy directs a program of projects, studies and publications regarding critical issues and current topics confronting society.
Other UT Southwestern faculty who are members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the year they were elected are:Dr. Donald Seldin (1974), Dr. Michael Brown (1981), Dr. Joseph Goldstein (1981), Dr. Jean Wilson (1982), Dr. Alfred Gilman (1988), Dr. Daniel Foster (1992), Dr. David Garbers (1992), Dr. Steven McKnight (1992), Dr. Jonathan Uhr (1993), Dr. Roger Unger (1994), Dr. Eric Olson (1998) and Dr. Ellen Vitetta (2003).
This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html