More than 250 WSU students will graduate June 8 at School of Medicine's commencement June 8 in the Detroit Opera House. In addition, Howard C. Birndorf, CEO and co-founder of Nanogen Inc., will receive an honorary Doctor of Science, and two WSU faculty members will be honored with Distinguished Service Awards.
Mr. Birndorf, a Michigan native who received his master's degree in biochemistry from Wayne State University, has been called "Biotech's Johnny Appleseed" by The New York Times. His first-rate intellect has earned him international respect for his trailblazing abilities in the diagnostics field, and his business acumen has allowed him to become a master of the start-up phase of innovative, biotechnology companies.
His firm, Nanogen, his seventh start-up company since 1978, has developed ways to process quick, inexpensive DNA analyses. The company's latest tool, NanoChip, is setting new standards in DNA-based analysis and is expected to build bridges between bench and clinical research.
Mr. Birndorf has served as a presidential appointee to the U.S. Department of Commerce Biotechnology Advisory Committee and as a director of the Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego.
In addition to honoring Mr. Birndorf, this year's commencement ceremony will recognize the dedication of two WSU School of Medicine faculty members with Distinguished Service Awards. Drs. Robert Sokol and George Dambach both have made substantial contributions both to the School of Medicine and the overall university.
Dr. Sokol is distinguished professor of obstetrics and gynecology, director of the WSU C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development and former dean of the WSU School of Medicine. An internationally recognized expert on fetal-alcohol syndrome, Dr. Sokol helped build WSU into one of the top-ranked academic OB/GYN programs in the country and also shaped the service into the premier regional center for high-risk pregnancy, infertility treatment and gynecology.
Dr. Sokol was appointed dean of the medical school in 1988 and served for 11 years, during which time he fueled WSU's rise as a nationally prominent research university. During his tenure, the School progressed from 70th to 22nd in the country in research expenditures, placing WSU among the top fifth of medical schools nationally. At the same time, Dr. Sokol remained focused on the medical students and providing superior medical education, always keeping an "open door policy."
More recently, Dr. Sokol has been charged with leading the Mott Center, which was key in securing the 2002 contract to establish the National Institutes of Health's Perinatology Research Branch at WSU. Valued at $125 million in contracts, the PRB is one of few intramural branches of the National Institutes of Health located outside the Bethesda, Md., headquarters and firmly re-establishes WSU as the leader in obstetrics an perinatology research and services.
Dr. Dambach has also made major contributions to the university's research portfolio. Most recently, he served as vice president for research and dean of the graduate school for Wayne State University. Previously, he served as associate dean for research and graduate programs at the School of Medicine.
During his tenure at the School, Dr. Dambach oversaw the dramatic growth from a respected center for clinical training to an esteemed research-intensive institution. The School's research portfolio grew from $16 million to $100 million, and its ranking rose from 56th to 22nd among the nation's 125 medical colleges.
On main campus, he was a member of the concept and development team for the Michigan Life Sciences Corridor and was instrumental in the creation of the MLSC's Core Technology Alliance. He also was key in bringing the PRB to WSU's campus.
In 2003, Dr. Dambach returned to the School of Medicine to lead its INPHAASE initiative, a multidisciplinary program in population and environmental studies. Earlier this year, he was appointed vice president for research of Florida International University.
Commencement will be at 2 p.m., Tuesday, June 8, in the Detroit Opera House. For more information, please contact Student Affairs at (313) 577-1459.