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Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine CMM
  1. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
  2. About
  3. About the Founders

Dr. George Palade

Dr. George Palade — considered by many to be "the father of modern cell biology" — was responsible for numerous discoveries and for pioneering several innovative and ground breaking scientific techniques and methods. He is internationally recognized for his work using the electron microscope and cell fractionation to identify and characterize parts of the cell. Some of Dr. Palade's pioneering work in cellular electron microscopy: George E. Palade EM Slide Collection

  • In 1974 he was awarded the Nobel prize for Physiology or Medicine for his contributions to the understanding of cell structure, chemistry and function.
  • In 1990, Dr. Palade was recruited to UCSD and was appointed as the School of Medicine's first Dean of Scientific Affairs and was co-founder of the division that would later become the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine which was his departmental home.
  • In 2008, Dr. Peter Novick was recruited to CMM as the first George Palade Endowed Chair, in memory of Dr. Palade. Dr. Novick's work continues a tradition of basic cell biology research, using a variety of experimental tools to explore the fundamental basis for intracellular vescicle trafficking.
  • The George E. Palade Celebration Symposium — a full day of scientific lectures held to honor the legacy of George Palade — was held on January 28, 2010.
  • On May 20 2014, CMM hosted Dr. Thomas Südhof, 2013 Nobel laureate in Physiology and Medicine, for the first George Palade Lecture.

Dr. Marilyn Farquhar

Dr. Marilyn Gist Farquhar was not only the co-founder and Chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at UC San Diego, she was also recognized as a pioneer in the study of cell and structure and function. She was a role model for other female scientists to follow in her footsteps, at a time when very few women pursued a career in science. Dr. Farquhar’s major scientific contributions included basic cell biology, particularly membrane trafficking in the Golgi apparatus and structure, and molecular composition and function of the kidney glomerulus. Her studies in cellular secretion, endocytosis, and podocytes in the kidney have revolutionized the field as much as the contributions of Dr. Palade. Marilyn Farquhar's devotion to research and education continued throughout her life.

  • In 1987 she was the first woman named Serling Professor at Yale. She also won the E.B. Wilson Medal – one of the highest honors of the American Society of Cell Biology.
  • In 1988 she received the Homer Smith Medal of the American Society of Nephrology for her lifetime contributions to nephrology. In the same year, she received the National Institutes of Health Merit Award.
  • In 1991 Dr. Farquhar was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
  • In 2006 she received the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology Award for Excellence in Science.
  • In 2017 the University of California, San Diego presented Dr. Farquhar with the Revelle Medal in recognition of her sustained, distinguished, and extraordinary service to the university.

George Palade

Donations

Dr. George Palade, co-founder of the division that would become the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine. George Palade passed away on October 7, 2008. Donations in his memory can be made to the George Palade Lectureship Fund.