Biography
Frank James Dixon (March 9, [ 1 ] 1920 – February 8, 2008) was an American biomedical researcher, known for his research into autoimmunity – diseases of the immune system that can damage other organs of the body – as well as for developing radioactive labeling techniques to study proteins. [ 2 ] He held a chair in the pathology department of the University of Pittsburgh (1951–61). In 1961, he co-founded the Scripps Research Institute , and was its inaugural director (1961–86). Dixon was born in St. Paul, Minnesota , in 1920. [ 1 ] His father was a machinist ; his mother, Rosa ( née Kuhfeld) was the daughter of an Austrian immigrant who worked as an engineer on the railways. His father was also associated with the Farmer–Labor Party ; his biographer Michael Oldstone notes that Dixon was brought up in a "progressive, liberal environment with an appreciation of the workingman". [ 3 ] In 1936, he went to the University of Minnesota , at first studying mathematics and then medicine; he received his bachelor's degree and M.D. in 1942. [ 3 ] [ 4 ] He joined the United States Navy in 1943, [ 5 ] serving in the Pacific and in Japan in the medical corps of the United States Marines , with the rank of lieutenant, and receiving the Purple Heart . [ 3 ]
About the Lasker Award
The Lasker Awards have been awarded annually since 1946 to living persons who have made major contributions to medical science or who have performed public service on behalf of medicine. They are administered by the Lasker Foundation, founded by advertising pioneer Albert Lasker and his wife Mary Woodard Lasker (a medical research activist). The awards are sometimes referred to as "America's Nobels."
Quick Facts
- Award: Lasker Award - Basic Medical Research
- Added: 2026-02-07
- Source: Wikipedia
- Established: 1946
- Presented by: Lasker Foundation