Nobel Laureate, Leading Physiologists to Give Distinguished Award Lectures at Experimental Biology

Rockville, Md. (April 20, 2021)—Four esteemed researchers will present the American Physiological Society’s (APS) most distinguished award lectures at the APS annual meeting at Experimental Biology (EB) 2021. The meeting will be held virtually April 27–30. APS is pleased to recognize this year’s remarkable honorees, who will present their lectures throughout the EB meeting, culminating with the APS Nobel Prize Award Lecture on Friday, April 30.

Virginia Miller, PhD, FAPS, of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, will give the 2021 Physiology in Perspective: The Walter B. Cannon Award Lecture. This lectureship is the most prestigious award that APS bestows and recognizes the lifetime achievement of an outstanding physiological scientist and APS member. Miller will present “Physiology of the 70 kg (Wo)man” on Tuesday, April 27, at 10 a.m.

Eric Belin de Chantemèle, PhD, of Augusta University in Georgia, is this year’s recipient of the Henry Pickering Bowditch Award Lectureship for early-career achievement. The Bowditch award recognizes original and outstanding accomplishments in the field of physiology and is given to an APS member younger than 42 or who is fewer than eight years from the start of the first faculty or staff research scientist position beyond postdoctoral training. Belin de Chantemèle’s lecture, “Obesity-associated Cardiovascular Disease: The Exposed Secret of the Sexes,” will be on Wednesday, April 28, at 10 a.m.

Scott K. Powers, EdD, PhD, FAPS, of the University of Florida in Gainesville, is the 2021 winner of the Bodil M. Schmidt-Nielsen Distinguished Mentor and Scientist Award. This award honors an APS member who has made outstanding contributions to physiological research and demonstrated dedication and commitment to mentorship. Powers will share his thoughts on mentoring in his lecture, “The Process of Becoming a Good Mentor,” on Tuesday, April 27, in an on-demand virtual session.

Mario R. Capecchi, PhD, of the University of Utah School of Medicine, will give the 2021 APS Nobel Prize Award Lecture. Capecchi won the 2007 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on targeted gene modification (creating “knockout” mice). He will present his lecture, “The Making of a Scientist—An Unlikely Journey,” on Friday, April 30, at 2 p.m.

Read more about these and other recipients of 2021 distinguished lectureships on the APS website.

NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact the APS Communications Office or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in the APS Newsroom.

About Experimental Biology 2021

Experimental Biology is the annual meeting of five societies that explores the latest research in physiology, anatomy, biochemistry and molecular biology, investigative pathology and pharmacology. With a mission to share the newest scientific concepts and research findings shaping clinical advances, the meeting offers an unparalleled opportunity for global exchange among scientists who represent dozens of scientific areas, from laboratory to translational to clinical research.

About the American Physiological Society

Physiology is a broad area of scientific inquiry that focuses on how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease. The American Physiological Society connects a global, multidisciplinary community of more than 10,000 biomedical scientists and educators as part of its mission to advance scientific discovery, understand life and improve health. The Society drives collaboration and spotlights scientific discoveries through its 16 scholarly journals and programming that support researchers and educators in their work.