Nobel Laureates

John J.R. Macleod, MB, ChB, DPH, physiology professor at Case from 1903 to 1918, shared the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of insulin. Dr. Macleod completed much of his groundwork on diabetes in Cleveland.

Corneille J.F. Heymans, MD, who was a visiting scientist in the Department of Physiology in 1927 and 1928, received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1938 for work on carotid sinus reflexes.

Frederick C. Robbins, MD, shared the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the polio virus, which led to the development of polio vaccines. He received the award two years after joining the medical school. Dr. Robbins was active at the school until his death in 2003, at which time he held the titles of medical school dean emeritus, University Professor emeritus, and emeritus director of the Center for Adolescent Health.

Earl W. Sutherland Jr., MD, who had been professor and director of pharmacology from 1953 to 1963, won the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for establishing the identity and importance of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in the regulation of cell metabolism.

George H. Hitchings, PhD, who had been a biochemistry instructor from 1939 to 1942, shared the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for research leading to the development of drugs to treat leukemia, organ transplant rejection, gout, the herpes virus and AIDS-related bacterial and pulmonary infections.

Alfred G. Gilman, MD, PhD, a 1969 graduate of the medical school, shared the 1994 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for identifying the role of G proteins in cell communication.

Ferid Murad, MD, PhD, a 1965 graduate of the medical school, shared the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.

Paul C. Lauterbur, PhD, a 1951 graduate of the engineering school and a visiting professor of radiology at Case in 1993, shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for pioneering work in the development of magnetic resonance imaging.

Paul Berg, PhD, who earned his biochemistry degree at the university in 1952, received the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering research in recombinant DNA technology.

Peter C. Agre, MD, who completed a fellowship in hematology at Case while a medical student at Johns Hopkins, shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discoveries that have clarified how salts and water are transported out of and into the cells of the body, leading to a better understanding of many diseases of the kidneys, heart, muscles and nervous system.

H. Jack Geiger, MD, a 1958 alumnus of the medical school, is a founding member and past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility, which shared the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize as part of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), which shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize as part of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.