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Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine CMM
  1. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
  2. About
  3. George Palade, Co-founder

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.

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.