Our Nobel Laureates

A Long Tradition of Groundbreaking Medical Research

Since 1901, the Nobel Prize has been awarded annually for achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, peace and, later, economics. The University of Chicago Medicine is proud to have been affiliated with 12 winners of this prestigious award.

The prize in Physiology or Medicine is given to those who, during the preceding year, "shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" or who "shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine."

Read more about the Nobel laureates and their accomplishments below.

All Nobel Laureate photographs on this page are copyright (c) 1999 The Nobel Foundation.

Bruce Beutler, 2011

"For ... discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity."

MD, Pritzker School of Medicine, 1981

 

Read more about Bruce Beutler

Roger Sperry, 1981

"For his discoveries concerning the functional specialization of the cerebral hemispheres."

PhD, Zoology, 1941 Assistant Professor of Anatomy, 1946-53

 

Read more about Roger Sperry

George Wald, 1967

"For ... discoveries concerning the primary physiological and chemical visual processes in the eye."

Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Physiology, 1934

 

Read more about George Wald

Charles Brenton Huggins, 1966

"For his discoveries concerning hormonal treatment of prostatic cancer." 

William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor, 1962-1997

Director and Founder of the Ben May Department for Cancer Research, 1951-1971

Professor of Surgery, 1936-1962
Associate Professor, 1933-1936
Assistant Professor, 1929-1933
Instructor, 1927-1929

Read more about Charles B. Huggins

Konrad E. Bloch, 1964

"For ... discoveries concerning the mechanism and regulation of the cholesterol and fatty acid metabolism."

Professor of Biochemistry, 1950-1954
Associate Professor, 1948-50
Assistant Professor, 1946-48

Read more about Konrad Bloch

Sir John Eccles, 1963

"For ... discoveries concerning the ionic mechanisms involved in excitation and inhibition in the peripheral and central portions of the nerve cell membrane."

Faculty, Institute of Biomedical Research, 1966-1968

Lecturer, Department of Physiology, 1966

 

Read more about Sir John Eccles

James Dewey Watson, 1962

"For ... discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nuclear acids and its significance for information transfer in living material."

BSc, Zoology, 1947

Read more about James Watson

George Wells Beadle, 1958

"For ... discovery that genes act by regulating definite chemical events."

Professor Emeritus, 1975-1989
William E. Wrather Distinguished Service Professor, 1969-75
Trustee, 1968-71; Honorary Trustee, 1971-1989
President and Trustee of the University, 1961-68
Professor of Biology, 1961-68

Read more about George Beadle

Edward Lawrie Tatum, 1958

"For their discovery that genes act by regulating definite chemical events."

AB, Chemistry, 1931

 

Read more about Edward Tatum

Hermann Joseph Muller, 1946

"For the discovery of the production of mutations by means of X-ray irradiation."

Associate Professor of Physiology, 1925
Staff, Manhattan Project, 1942-1943

Read more about Hermann J. Muller

Edward Adelbert Doisy, 1943

"For his discovery of the chemical nature of vitamin K."

Lecturer in Medicine, 1940

 

Read more about Edward A. Doisy

Alexis Carrel, 1912

"In recognition of his work on vascular suture and the transplantation of blood vessels and organs." 

Postdoctoral research, Department of Physiology, 1904-1905

Read more about Alexis Carrel
Bruce A. Beutler, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2011
Roger W. Sperry, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1981
George Wald, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1967
Charles B. Huggins, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1966
Konrad Bloch, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1964
Sir John Eccles, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1963
James Watson, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1962
George Beadle, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1958
Edward Tatum, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1958
Hermann J. Muller, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1946
Edward A. Doisy, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1943
Alexis Carrel, The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1912

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