Professor Gus R. Rosania Honored at the White House
On November 1, 2007, Gus R. Rosania, PhD, assistant professor in the department of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, received the 2006 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor given by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers beginning their careers. Rosania and 57 other recipients were honored by President George W. Bush at the White House.
Professor Gus R. Rosania, (second row, ascending, seventh from left) poses for a photo with recipients of the 2006 Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007, on the North Portico of the White House in Washington. President George W. Bush is in the third row, seventh from left. Photo courtesy Associated Press.
Rosania was one of only 12 scientists nominated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the PECASE. Other agencies submitting nominations were the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services; National Aeronautics and Space Administration; National Science Foundation; and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In nominating Rosania for the Award, NIH Director, Elias A. Zerhouni, MD, cited Rosania’s achievements in the development of experimental and computational tools for developing drugs targeted to subcellular compartments; and for his mentoring of undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral students. The Presidential Awards are intended to recognize and nurture the nation’s finest scientists and engineers who, while early in their research careers, show exceptional potential for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge.
Rosania’s selection was based on his achievement record with the NIH, which has already awarded him three grants totaling over two million dollars, as well as his efforts in promoting diversity and globalization of Pharmacy education. Rosania and his team of graduate students, Pharm D. investigations students and post-doctoral fellows have been developing methods to decrease drug toxicity and improve efficacy, by pin-pointing chemical modifications that can be used to target drugs to specific sites of action. Because of its fundamental significance to drug discovery and development, these investigations impact all therapeutic areas, from cancer and heart disease to parasitic infections.
Professor Gus R. Rosania, (lower left, blue tie) and other 2006 PECASE Award recipients on the North Portico of the White House in Washington, Nov. 1, 2007. A few seconds later, a full-group photo was taken. President George W. Bush, head turned, is in the row behind Rosania. Photo courtesy Associated Press.
Rosania says he was attracted to U-M because it offers “a complete package”: an outstanding reputation; top-quality faculty, students, and facilities; and an interdisciplinary research emphasis, which creates unique bridges between basic science and clinical applications. Rosania’s desire to teach was the reason he chose to redirect his career path from industry to academia.
“Not only is it my responsibility to provide our students with the tools to transform society, but also to impart the values that will help them to put the tools of science to good use,” Rosania says. During the past three years, Rosania has established collaborations with academic institutions in South America, and is developing programs for attracting underrepresented minority students to careers in Pharmacy and the Pharmaceutical Sciences.
E-mail: grosania@umich.edu
