UB's highest honor to go to Jacobs
UB faculty member, renowned researcher to receive Norton Medal posthumously
By SUZANNE
CHAMBERLAIN
Reporter Contributor
The
late Lawrence D. Jacobs, who was professor and chair of the Department
of Neurology and a world-renowned researcher in the treatment of multiple
sclerosis, has been chosen to receive posthumously UB's highest award,
the Chancellor Charles P. Norton Medal.
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JACOBS |
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The
Norton Medal is given annually at the university's general commencement
ceremony to recognize someone who has, in Norton's words, "performed some
great thing which is identified with Buffalo
a civic or political
act, a great book, a great work of art, a great scientific achievement,
or any other thing which, in itself, is truly great and enabling and which
dignifies the performer and Buffalo in the eyes of the world."
UB's
156th general commencement ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. May 12 in
Alumni Arena, North Campus.
"Larry
Jacobs was one of our most distinguished faculty members, and a great
Buffaloniana scholar, researcher and teacher whose groundbreaking
research discoveries were exceeded only by his compassion and his desire
to serve our university, our region and all of humanity," said President
William R. Greiner. "Throughout his career, Larry brought national and
international acclaim to our Department of Neurology and the UB medical
school, as well as to Buffalo-Niagara.
"We
were very fortunate to count him among our faculty, and are very pleased
to honor his memory with the Chancellor Charles P. Norton Medal, a fitting
tribute to his outstanding legacy," Greiner said. "The Jacobs family has
long played a leadership role in the community, and in all that he did,
Larry exemplified that very fine tradition of public service."
Jacobs,
who also was director of the Jacobs Neurological Institute and the William
C. Baird Multiple Sclerosis Research Center at Buffalo General Hospital,
died of cancer in November at the age of 63. Colleagues said that he was
an exceptional and compassionate man whose work helping those who suffered
from MS, strokes and other neurological ailments had a great impact worldwide.
Truly, Jacobs exemplified UB's commitment to research, education and public
service, and in a very meaningful way helped to promote these tenets at
the UB medical school.
His
ground-breaking research, geared toward developing better treatment for
relapsing multiple sclerosisa form of MS that affects 350,000 people
in the United Statesled to the development of Avonex, the
most widely prescribed drug to treat this debilitating form of MS.
As
early as 1981, Jacobs' research showed that early treatment of MS with
interferon beta-1a significantly reduced the rate of progression and impact
of the disease, which often includes brain and nerve damage.
Jacobs
funded his initial work privately, eventually attracting multi-million
dollar grants from the National Institutes of Health.
In
2000, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results
of a large-scale study, led by Jacobs, on the benefits of beta-1a interferon
in treating MS, which led to the Harvard Health Letter naming his
research as one of the 10 leading health advances for 2000.
Among
his other numerous awards were the Stockton Kimball Award from the UB
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the Stephen B. Kelley Award
from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Western New York/Northwestern
Pennsylvania Chapter, the George F. Koepf M.D. Award for the Advancement
of Biomedical Research from the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute
and the Alumni Merit Award from St. Louis University.
Jacobs
served on the board of the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis
Societies, was a founding member and former officer of the American Academy
of Neurology Education and Research Foundation, and was past president
of the American Society of Neuroimaging.
He
lectured widely, authored more than 200 publications on neurology and
served as a member of the editorial board of several medical journals.
A
native of Buffalo, Jacobs graduated from Niagara University and earned
his medical degree from St. Louis University in 1965. After a residency
at Mount Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine in New York City, he returned
to Buffalo, beginning his career in medicine as an attending physician
at Millard Fillmore Hospital in 1973. He joined the UB faculty the same
year as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Neurology.
He served as chief of research at the Dent Neurological Institute from
1985-89.
In
1987, Jacobs became chief of the Baird MS research center, which was devoted
to developing better treatments for the disease and excellence in patient
education, clinical programs and support services. He became head of the
neurology department at Buffalo General Hospital in 1989. A year later,
the Jacobs Neurological Institute was dedicated in memory of Jacobs' parents,
Genevieve and Louis.
He
held the Irvin and Rosemary Smith Chair in Neurology in the School of
Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, established with a $1.5 million endowment
from Biogen, manufacturer of Avonex.
Jacobs
was a member of the distinguished Jacobs family, civic leaders in Western
New York and historically supportive of higher education and the University
at Buffalo. He served on the UB Foundation, Inc. from 1991-01. His wife,
Pamela R. Jacobs, is a member of the SUNY Board of Trustees. His brother,
Jeremy Jacobs, chairman of Delaware North Cos., chairs the UB Council,
and serves as honorary chair of The Campaign for UB: Generation to Generation.
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