News Release

American Society for Microbiology honors Bernard Roizman

Grant and Award Announcement

American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DC—May 28, 2008—The 2008 American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Abbott-ASM Lifetime Achievement Award is being presented to Bernard Roizman, Joseph Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor of Virology, The University of Chicago. Sponsored by Abbott Laboratories, this is ASM's premier award for sustained, remarkable contributions to the microbiological sciences.

Dr. Roizman has been a leader in the field of virology for nearly half a century. In the 1960s, he was a pioneering investigator in the field of herpes simplex virus (HSV) biology, and he is widely recognized as the leading authority in nearly every area of HSV research. One of Dr. Roizman's most important early contributions was the identification of a viral gene that is responsible for HSV neurovirulence. In addition, he was one of the very first investigators to apply molecular tools to the epidemiological studies of a pathogen, and he continues to lead the way in elucidating molecular mechanisms underlying the virus-host cell interaction. Dr. Roizman is also an exceptional educator who has trained more than 100 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. He has been honored with a number of distinguished awards, including the Centennial Medal from the Institut Pasteur (1987), the first annual ICN International Prize in Virology (1988), the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine (1997), and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Infectious Disease Research (1998). Dr. Roizman is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

Dr. Roizman received his B.A. and M.S. from Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his Sc.D. from The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.

The Abbott-ASM Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented during the 108th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), June 1 – June 5, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 43,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.

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