Richard Klausner, M.D.
VHL
Dr.
Klausner was appointed at the Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on
August 1, 1995. From 1984 until 1997 he was Chief of the Cell Biology and
Metabolism Branch of the National Institute of Child Health & Human
Development. Dr. Klausner received his undergraduate degree from Yale
university and his medical degree from Duke university. After post-graduate
medical training at Harvard, he began his research career at the National
Institutes of Health in 1979. Dr. Klausner is well known for his contributions
to multiple aspects of cell and molecular biology. Over the past several years,
he has been recognized as one of the 20 most highly cited scientists in the
world in this burgeoning area of biology and biomedical research. Dr. Klausner¹s
research has illuminated the genetics and biochemistry of metals as essential
but toxic nutrients for virtually all forms of life, he has illuminated the
pathways by which molecules traffic and speak to each other within the cell, and
has described novel mechanisms by which genes are regulated. His work has been
recognized with numerous honors and awards including the Outstanding
Investigator Award from the American Federation of Clinical Research and the
William Damashek Prize for Major Discoveries in Hematology. In 1993, Dr.
Klausner was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and chaired their
project, charged with writing standards for science education for the United
States from kindergarten through 12th grade. The project represents the first
comprehensive attempt to describe a vision of scientific literacy for all
students and to provide the criteria for the educational system required to
achieve the fulfillment of that vision. Dr. Klausner is the past President of
the American Society for Clinical Investigation. In October, 1996, he was
elected to the Institute of Medicine. He is the author of over 280 scientific
articles and several books.