Schultz to receive award from King of Thailand

In January, Dr. Stanley Schultz, professor of integrative biology and pharmacology and former dean of the Medical School, will travel to Thailand to receive the prestigious 2006 Prince Mahidol Award for Medicine for his contributions to the rationale that led to the development of oral rehydration therapy (ORT). ORT has been credited with saving the lives of millions afflicted with secretory diarrheas, such as cholera. This rationale also underlies the rehydrating effect of Gatorade.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand will officially confer the award Jan. 31, 2007, at the Chakri Throne Hall in the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.

“It’s very gratifying for me, a medically-trained basic scientist, to know that my contributions have not only had a major impact in the basic sciences but have also led to a therapy that has benefited people,” Schultz said. “It’s one more example of translational, ‘bench to bedside’ research.”

Established in 1992 to honor His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla and in recognition of his exemplary contribution toward progress and advancement in the fields of medicine, public health, and social services, the Prince Mahidol Award is an international award presented to an individual or institution in the fields of medicine and public health.

Two Prince Mahidol Awards are granted a year. One award is given for “outstanding performance and/or research in the field of medicine for the benefit of mankind,” and another award is given for “outstanding contribution in the field of public health for the sake of the well-being of the peoples.”

Dr. R. Palmer Beasley, Ashbel Smith Professor and former dean of the UT School of Public Health, was chosen to receive this award in 1999 for his contribution to the understanding of the pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Schultz will travel to Thailand with his wife, Harriet, to accept the award. He also will participate in the Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2007.

Schultz holds the Fondren Family Chair in Cellular Signaling and is the H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences.

-C. Webb