Alumni Awards

Tomas Ganz, Ph.D., M.D.

Professor of Medicine and Pathology
Director, Will Rogers Pulmonary Research Laboratory
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

2007 Recipient

Tomas Ganz, Ph.D., M.D., is being honored with the MAA Medical Science Award , which recognizes an individual who has brought distinction to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA through outstanding achievements in medical research or education.

Dr. Ganz earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at UCLA, his Ph.D. in Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology, and his M.D. at UCLA. He was an intern and resident in Internal Medicine at UCLA, where he also was a fellow in Pulmonary Medicine. He conducted postdoctoral studies in Molecular Biology with Harvey R. Herschman, Ph.D., previous winner of the MAA's 2002 Medical Science Award . In 1983, Dr. Ganz was appointed Assistant Professor-in-Residence in UCLA's Department of Medicine, in 1986 Assistant Professor, in 1989 Associate Professor, and in 1993 and 1996 Professor of Medicine and Professor of Pathology, respectively. He is certified with the American Board of Internal Medicine with a subspecialty in Pulmonary Medicine.

His memberships include the American Thoracic Society, American Federation for Clinical Research, and Western Society for Clinical Investigation. In addition, Dr. Ganz has served on government and corporate/foundation advisory panels, editorial boards, and numerous academic, peer-review, and community-based committees. Among his honors are the Edith and Carl Lasky Award, Parker B. Francis Foundation Fellowship, RJR Nabisco Scholarship, 2005 Marcel Simon Award for Contribution to the Knowledge of Iron Metabolism and Its Disorders (International Bioiron Society) , and election to the American Association of Physicians.

Dr. Ganz and his research group have characterized the chemistry and biological properties of bioactive peptides (compounds with amino acids) important to innate immunity, such as human defensins of white blood cells, the genitourinary tract, and the skin. More recently, they have discovered and characterized hepcidin, the iron-regulatory peptide hormone, and developed an assay (a mixture of hepcidin to determine its constituents and their proportions) that is used for clinical studies worldwide. The identification of the interface between innate immunity and iron metabolism is considered a major breakthrough. Dr. Ganz is called upon regularly for consultations by leading pharmaceutical companies, and is participating in the development of antimicrobial peptides as therapeutic antibiotics and the development of medications for the treatment of anemia and iron disorders.

Michael Zucker, M.D.

Professor Emeritus of Clinical Radiology
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

2007 Recipient

Michael Zucker, M.D., is being presented with the MAA Professional Achievement Award , which recognizes an individual who has brought distinction to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA through exemplary achievements as a physician or through service to the broader community.

After completing his undergraduate training at UC Berkeley, Dr. Zucker was awarded his M.D. degree at UCLA. He did his Internal Medicine residency at UCLA and the West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center and his Radiology residency at UCLA and UC Irvine. Dr. Zucker was a Major in the Medical Corps, United States Air Force, during the Vietnam War, where he was stationed at a top-security missile base. Then, from 1975 to 1990, he was in private practice, becoming Professor of Radiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 1990.

At UCLA, Dr. Zucker was Chief of Emergency Radiology from 1990-2006 and is currently Professor Emeritus. He is also past president of the American Society of Emergency Radiology. He was awarded the following honors for teaching at UCLA: Award for Excellence in Education, Alpha Omega Alpha (medical honor society) Faculty Person of the Year, and three Golden Apple Awards. Moreover, he earned several accolades from the Department of Family Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center, and Radiology. At the School of Medicine, he is now developing and teaching the integrated radiology curriculum for Anatomy and for Pathology and is teaching the Senior Radiology Elective.

Dr. Zucker enjoys Movie Quote Quizzes, using the quotes frequently in his lectures and speeches. He reads four fiction and nonfiction books at a time and particularly likes science fiction, any history but especially ancient Roman, and novels about the British Navy. He walks to work - rain or shine, travels with his wife, and keeps company with a wonderful, very large dog. However, his most satisfying activity is teaching medical students.

Stanley G. Korenman, M.D.

2007 Recipient

Stanley G. Korenman, M.D. is being honored with the MAA Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes an individual for distinguished service to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and its affiliated institutions over a span of years .

After graduating Summa Cum Laude in Philosophy from Princeton University, Stanley Korenman was awarded his M.D. degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and is Board-certified in Medicine and Endocrinology, with a focus on Reproductive Endocrinology. He was Clinical Associate and Senior Investigator at the Endocrinology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, and in 1966 joined Harbor-UCLA Medical Center as Assistant Professor of Medicine, directing the General Clinical Research Center. Dr. Korenman was recruited to the University of Iowa as Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry and Chief of Endocrinology in 1970, where he established a training program for residents and fellows.

He returned to UCLA in 1974 as Professor of Medicine to organize the Department of Medicine San Fernando Valley Program and became Chief of Medical Service at the Sepulveda VA Medical Center and Vice-chair of the Department of Medicine. In that position, he developed and directed the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) from 1981 to 2003, linked it with Caltech, and nourished it from three students to 85. Dr. Korenman also served as Associate Dean for Medical Education from 1989 to 2001 and Chief of the Division of Endocrinology from 1992 to 1998. He continues as Associate Dean for Ethics. As Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Endocrine Society, he presided over the Society's development and adoption of a modern Code of Ethics. The Endocrine Society presented him with the Educator of the Year Award for 2000.

Dr. Korenman directs UCLA's Research Subject Advocacy Program of the General Clinical Research Center and developed the School of Medicine's Ethics in Patient-Oriented Research course. Moreover, he served as Co-Chair of the Health Information Policy Committee with regard to access and privacy for both clinical and research information. Dr. Korenman wrote "Teaching the Responsible Conduct of Research" that remains in use nationwide and recently completed an E-book entitled "Teaching the Responsible Conduct of Research on Humans." He is a member of the UCLA Medical Center Ethics Committee and UCLA's Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) Program Selection Committee, among others, and served on a National Academy of Sciences committee to define and ensure research integrity and conduct at research institutions.

In addition, Dr. Korenman has played a key role in establishing programs in Geriatrics at UCLA. Through collaborative efforts, he conceived of the Inter-University Group for Geriatrics (UCLA) and Gerontology (USC). He also made possible the first VA Geriatrics evaluation unit and initiated the Geriatrics Supercourse to bring together academics for learning and networking in this field. Dr. Korenman lobbied the VA to focus more on ambulatory care for better and more cost-effective service and supported a pilot project that contributed to the adoption of new ambulatory care policies.

Vicente Honrubia, M.D., D.M.Sc.

Professor Emeritus, Head & Neck Surgery
Director, Victor Goodhill Ear Center
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

2007 Recipient

Vicente Honrubia, M.D., D.M.Sc., is being presented with the MAA Award of Extraordinary Merit , which recognizes individuals for contributions that have been of unusually great benefit to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA either through unparalleled leadership or through major advances in the biomedical sciences, thus enhancing the reputation of the School.

After earning his M.D. degree in Otolaryngology from the University of Valencia School of Medicine in Spain, Dr. Honrubia became a specialist and diplomate in the field. At the University of Valencia, University of Madrid, he also was awarded a D.M.Sc. degree in Physiology. Following fellowships at the Public Health Service of Valencia and Marques de Urquijo Foundation at the University of Madrid, he was a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fellow in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Chicago and in the Department of Physiology at New York's Rockefeller Institute. After appointments at Vanderbilt University, including Director of Otolaryngological Research, Dr. Honrubia joined UCLA in 1968 as Associate Professor in Residence and Director of Research in the Division of Head & Neck Surgery.

In 1972, he became Professor in the Division and in 1990 Director of the Victor Goodhill Ear Center, named for the late world-famous ear surgeon and UCLA faculty member. The Center's mission is to conduct research to improve the diagnosis and treatment of otologic and vestibular diseases and disorders, offer advanced medical services, provide training opportunities, and disseminate information to professionals and the public at large. Dr. Honrubia's Human Vestibular Laboratory was one of just six centers in the country and the only one in vestibular science to be awarded an NIH grant as a National Center of Excellence. His physiological and anatomical studies of the vestibular nuclei, which he has "mapped" in humans, use computer-based three-dimensional reconstruction techniques to develop descriptions and models of the central nervous system pathways and to evaluate the effects of inner ear lesions on vestibulo-ocular and vestibulo-spinal reflexes. His specialties are balance disorder and neuro-otology.

Dr. Honrubia is a member of the NIH Board of Scientific Counselors and Board of Directors of the Friends of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communicative Disorders, is a mentor for the National Hispanic Mentor Recruitment Network, and has served on editorial boards and in other capacities in n ational and international organizations. His honors include the 1982 Doctor "Honoris Causa" University of Valencia, 2004 Shambaugh International Prize in Otology, and 2005 Hispanic Health Leadership Award. He has published more than 250 journal articles and co-authored numerous book chapters and four books/journals.