Bert L. Vallee
Encyclopedia
Bert L. Vallee, M.D. was an Edgar M. Bronfman Distinguished Senior Professor at the Harvard Medical School
. He was the founder and president of the Endowment and the CBBSM (Center for Biochemical & Biophysical Sciences & Medicine).
and Harvard Medical School in Medicine and Biochemistry. Dr. Vallee has been a member of the Medical and Science Faculty of Harvard University since 1948. He was the Founding Director of the Biophysics Research Laboratory at Harvard (predecessor to the CBBSM), which was established in 1954 by The Rockefeller Foundation. From 1964-1989, Dr. Vallee held the Paul C. Cabot Professorship of Biochemistry, and since 1980 he has held the Edgar M. Bronfman Distinguished Senior Professorship at Harvard.
His primary research has been in zinc enzymology, a field he is credited with establishing and for which he received the Raulin Award. His work on alcohol dehydrogenase
, a zinc enzyme, led to his interest in the study of the molecular basis of alcohol use and abuse. Dr. Vallee is an expert on emission spectroscopy and the author of more than 600 scientific publications including books.
He is an Honorary Professor of Tsinghua University
, Beijing, China, the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
, Shanghai
, China, and the Stellenbosch University
, Stellenbosch, South Africa. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and the Royal Danish Academy, and holds Honorary Degrees from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, the University Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Naples, and the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich. He was awarded the Order of Andres Bello, First Class of the Republic of Venezuela
, and the Gibbs, Linderstrom-Lang, and Rose Medals.
The main objective of the Foundation is to generate opportunities for unique intellectual endeavors.
The purpose for which the [Vallee Foundation] is formed is to contribute to the advancement of medical education and medical science by:
Primarily, the Foundation's efforts have been devoted to programs for visiting professors and fellows. The one month visits, typical of the Foundation, have been a great success in providing adequate time to plan research, conduct experiments, and establish meaningful academic relationships.
To date, twenty-five Vallee Visiting Professors ("VVPs") have been elected and served at Harvard, Oxford, the Karolinska Institute, and the Pasteur Institute
in Paris. The Vallee Foundation aims for continued success in identifying unique individuals while expanding the network of innovative enterprises. The opportunity to explore new avenues of intellectual pursuit is, ultimately, presented to identify more effective methods of joint research.
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
. He was the founder and president of the Endowment and the CBBSM (Center for Biochemical & Biophysical Sciences & Medicine).
Life
Dr. Bert Lester Vallee, (June 1, 1919 - May 7, 2010), received his M.D degree from New York University in 1943 and subsequently held positions at Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
and Harvard Medical School in Medicine and Biochemistry. Dr. Vallee has been a member of the Medical and Science Faculty of Harvard University since 1948. He was the Founding Director of the Biophysics Research Laboratory at Harvard (predecessor to the CBBSM), which was established in 1954 by The Rockefeller Foundation. From 1964-1989, Dr. Vallee held the Paul C. Cabot Professorship of Biochemistry, and since 1980 he has held the Edgar M. Bronfman Distinguished Senior Professorship at Harvard.
His primary research has been in zinc enzymology, a field he is credited with establishing and for which he received the Raulin Award. His work on alcohol dehydrogenase
Dehydrogenase
A dehydrogenase is an enzyme that oxidises a substrate by a reduction reaction that transfers one or more hydrides to an electron acceptor, usually NAD+/NADP+ or a flavin coenzyme such as FAD or FMN.-Examples:...
, a zinc enzyme, led to his interest in the study of the molecular basis of alcohol use and abuse. Dr. Vallee is an expert on emission spectroscopy and the author of more than 600 scientific publications including books.
He is an Honorary Professor of Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
, Beijing, China, the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry, the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China, and the Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch University is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape....
, Stellenbosch, South Africa. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and the Royal Danish Academy, and holds Honorary Degrees from the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, the University Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Naples, and the Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich. He was awarded the Order of Andres Bello, First Class of the Republic of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and the Gibbs, Linderstrom-Lang, and Rose Medals.
The Bert L. & N. Kuggie Vallee Foundation
The Bert L. and N. Kuggie Vallee Foundation, a private operated organization, was established in 1996 by Bert L and N. Kuggie Vallee.The main objective of the Foundation is to generate opportunities for unique intellectual endeavors.
The purpose for which the [Vallee Foundation] is formed is to contribute to the advancement of medical education and medical science by:
- Promoting the development of interdisciplinary sciences related to human health by supporting interactions between productive scientists both in the United States and abroad;
- Promoting dialogue between productive scientists and nonscientists who can promote the practical application of scientific research;
- Sponsoring and/or organizing short-term visiting professorships, symposia, tutorials and lectures; and
- Engaging in such other activities of a nature consistent with the foregoing purpose as the directors of the corporation determine to be proper and appropriate.
Primarily, the Foundation's efforts have been devoted to programs for visiting professors and fellows. The one month visits, typical of the Foundation, have been a great success in providing adequate time to plan research, conduct experiments, and establish meaningful academic relationships.
To date, twenty-five Vallee Visiting Professors ("VVPs") have been elected and served at Harvard, Oxford, the Karolinska Institute, and the Pasteur Institute
Pasteur Institute
The Pasteur Institute is a French non-profit private foundation dedicated to the study of biology, micro-organisms, diseases, and vaccines. It is named after Louis Pasteur, who made some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine at the time, including pasteurization and vaccines for anthrax...
in Paris. The Vallee Foundation aims for continued success in identifying unique individuals while expanding the network of innovative enterprises. The opportunity to explore new avenues of intellectual pursuit is, ultimately, presented to identify more effective methods of joint research.
External links
- Michael Gottesman: Purely Academic Interview with Michael GottesmanMichael GottesmanMichael H. Gottesman is a lawyer and law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, specializing in the fields of labor law, constitutional law, and civil rights...
who studied at Vallee's laboratory.