20 Most Influential Medical Researchers Alive Today
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Updated on March 31, 2023
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By
Staff Writers
Writer
The staff writers for BestColleges collaborate to deliver unique, student-driven content on topics such as career development, college life, and college planning....
Updated on March 31, 2023
Learn more about our editorial process
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#20. Napoleone Ferrara
Ferrara is a molecular biologist that specializes in cancer research. He is a Genentech Fellow in Tumor Biology and Angiogenesis. Ferrara’s Lasker Award, however, was given for a different application of his research that led to an effective treatment of age related wet macular degeneration. Ferrara earned his medical degree from the University of Catania, Italy.#19. Arthur L. Horwich
Horwich is a biologist and the current Eugene Higgins Professor of Genetics and Pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine. He pioneered the practice of protein folding and his discoveries in that field have been applied across the discipline of genetics ever since. Horwich entered a program at Brown that was one of the first to combine the earning of a bachelor degree and medical degree. Upon graduation he went on to work with prestigious organizations like the Salk Institute, and the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. Horwich received a Lasker Award for his discoveries regarding protein folding.Online Programs That Might Interest You
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#18. Michael Sheetz
Sheetz is a cell biologist at Columbia University and was the founding director of the Mechanobiology Institute of the National University of Singapore. Sheetz earned his bachelor’s degree at Albion College and his Ph.D. at the California Institute of Technology. Sheetz is a recipient of both the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Science, which recognizes outstanding research that advances our knowledge of biological systems and processes, and a Lasker Award for discoveries concerning cytoskeletal motor proteins.#17. Sir Martin Evans
Sir Martin Evans is a British developmental biologist and was the first recorded scientist to culture the embryonic stem cells of mice and cultivate them in a lab, an act that has earned him the moniker “stem cell architect." Evans also pioneered gene targeting for the purpose of genetic engineering in mice. Genetically modified mice have since become a tool crucial to medical research. Evans, who studied at Christ’s College at Cambridge and University College London, was awarded a Lasker Award in 2001 and the Nobel Prize in 2007. He has taught at Cardiff University, Christ’s College at Cambridge, and University College London.#16. John Sulston
This British Biologist shared a Nobel Prize in 2002. Sulston’s primary research has been in human genetics and he has worked with some of the most prestigious organizations in the world including the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, on top of having taught at Cambridge and the University of Manchester. John Sulston is a graduate of Pembroke College at Cambridge.#15. Tim Hunt
This British biochemist shared a Nobel Prize in 2001 for discovering protein molecules that control the division of cells, leading to a much greater understanding of cell reproduction in living organisms. Hunt discovered two proteins that help regulate the transition of cells from one form to another. His work moved our understanding of the reproduction of cancer cells, moving research on cancer forward. Hunt studied at the University of Cambridge, where he later taught, is a fellow of the Royal Society, and worked with Cancer Research UK.#14. Sydney Brenner
This South African biologist contributed greatly to efforts to understand the genetic code. Brenner and George Pieczenik were the first to utilize computer analysis to study nucleic acids. He earned degrees from the University of Watersrand, and Oxford, and was a postdoctoral fellow at U.C. Berkeley. Throughout his career he has worked at King’s College at Cambridge, the Molecular Sciences Institute, the University of Watersrand, and U.C. Berkeley.#13. David J. Weatherall
This British M.D. is a prominent researcher in molecular genetics, haematology, and pathology. He is one of the leading experts worldwide on thalassemias, blood disorders that cause anemia and other complications. The focus of his research has been on the molecular foundation of thalassemias, and the application of that knowledge to controlling the disorders. Weatherall graduated with his medical degree from the University of Liverpool and has worked with the Institute of Molecular Medicine at Oxford, been a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, and written important works for the World Health Organisation. Weatherall received a Lasker Award for his long career devoted to the advancement of biomedical science and bioethics.#12. Paul Greengard
An American neurologist, Greengard’s significant contributions to the medical field are his discoveries regarding the molecular and cellular functions of neurons. Greengard shared a Nobel Prize in the year 2000 for discoveries that furthered our knowledge of signal transduction in the nervous system. He studied at Johns Hopkins University, Hamilton College, and Cambridge, and is current the Vincent Astor Professor at Rockefeller University. He has also held positions at Vanderbilt and Yale.#11. James D. Watson
This molecular biologist and geneticist shared the 1968 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with 2 others for their discoveries of the molecular structure of nucleic acids, or, the double helix, and the structure’s significance regarding the transfer of information in live organisms. Watson and his colleagues made this discovery while working at Oxford. Watson studied at the University of Chicago and Indiana University. Watson was appointed head of the Human Genome Project in 1990, and was an early advocate against the practice of patenting human genes and DNA.#10. Louis Ignarro
This American medical researcher and pharmacologist was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of an uneducated carpenter. In 1998 Ignarro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the signalling properties of nitric oxide. Ignarro studied at Columbia and the University of Minnesota and is currently professor of pharmacology at UCLA. His early research collaborations at the National Institutes of Health lead to an increased understanding of the cardiovascular system in the medical community. His discoveries have led to the development of many medicines including nutritional supplements that improve cardiovascular health, and Viagra. He has written five major works on the implications of his research into the health properties of Nitric Oxide.#9. Harold E. Varmus
One of the foremost cancer researchers in the world, Varmus was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1989 for his discovery of the cellular origins of retroviral oncogenes which has been instrumental in the fight against cancer. Varmus, who attended Amherst College, Harvard University, and Columbia University, is one of three co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He also is the director of the National Cancer Institute, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.#8. Jack W. Szostak
This Canadian researcher studied at McGill University and Cornell. Szostak is now a Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Szostak received a Nobel Prize in 2009 which he shared with Elizabeth Blackburn for their co-discovery of how chromosomes are protected by telomeres. Szostak also received a Lasker Award (2006), Genetics Society of America Medal, and a Dr. A.H. Heineken Prize (2008). His discoveries haven’t been limited to the one for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. He also is credited with constructing the world’s first artificial yeast chromosome, and he was instrumental in the successes of the Human Genome Project.#7. Tom Maniatis
This American professor of cellular and molecular biology studied at the University of Colorado, Vanderbilt and holds several honorary degrees. Maniatis is a biotech pioneer and has been involved with some of the largest biotech firms in the world, including co-founding the Genetics Institute. He was awarded the Lasker-Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science along with Donald D. Brown for their numerous discoveries that have advanced the field of biomedical science.Online Programs That Might Interest You
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