PHILADELPHIA – Garret A. FitzGerald, MD, FRS, has been recognized with the 2024 Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences from American Association of Medical Colleges. The award will be presented at the association's annual recognition event on October 30.
FitzGerald, a Professor of Medicine in Translational Medicine and Human Genetics, Associate Dean for Translational Research and Director of the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, has dedicated his career to the study of cardiovascular health with a focus on pain medicines. He was instrumental in the discoveries relating to the use of low-dose aspirin in preventing cardiac disease. His team was the first to predict and then mechanistically explain the cardiovascular hazard from NSAIDs and his laboratory was also the first to discover a molecular clock in the cardiovascular system. Among his many accolades, he has been awarded both the Irish Times/RDS Boyle Medal and the 2013 Grand Prix Scientifique -- considered the world's most prestigious honor for cardiovascular research.
His lab is currently targeting three areas of study: prostanoid research, the role of the clock in aging, and predicting NSAID efficacy and hazard in cardiovascular patients.
FitzGerald is an Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy, bestowed to those who have made outstanding contributions to their academic discipline, but reside outside the island of Ireland. With degrees from University College and Trinity College in Dublin, and the University of London, FitzGerald received his MD from University College, Dublin.
His work has been featured in the New England Journal of Medicine, Science, and the Public Library of Science publications.
Four other distinguished Penn Medicine researchers have been honored with this award in the past ten years including CAR T cell pioneer Carl June, gene therapy researchers Jean Bennett and Al Maguire, and vaccine inventor Stanley Plotkin.
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