COVER FEATURE
AS
A R E N OWN E D L E A D E R i n h e a l t h c a r e , pharmaceut ical
research, biotechnology and entrepre- neurship, Frank L. Douglas, MD, PhD, is accustomed to receiving awards — among them the Louis B. Russell Memorial American Heart Association Award, the National Organization of Chemists and Chemical Engineers Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Medal of Honor from the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. But of the many prizes and accolades the innovative president and CEO of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA) has received, the 2010 "Rock Star of Science" award, one of 17 given nationally by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation and GQ Magazine, was the only one for which he himself needed some additional explanation. "At first I didn't even know what GQ
was," muses the 68-year-old Dr. Douglas. "I had to call my daughter and ask her." The annual award pairs scientific
heroes with celebrity musicians in a campaign to raise awareness of the role of science in society and to highlight global champions of medical research. It is a fitting tribute to a man who has devoted his entire life to the pursuit and practical application of life-saving phar- macologica l and technologica l breakthroughs. "This is a fantastic effort to bring
awareness to the vital role of science and medical research in an engaging way,"
Frank L. Douglas, MD, PhD, Rock-Star Physician Scientist Leads ABIA
By Alex Strauss 6 | Cleveland-Akron-Canton MD NEWS MDNEWS.COM JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2012
PHOTO © JOE SMITHBERGER, SMITHBERGER PHOTOGRAPHY, NORTH CANTON
