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| Douglas C. Wallace has been elected tot he Institute of Medicine. |
Election to the institute, established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, is considered one of the highest honors in health and medicine, as it recognizes outstanding professional accomplishment and commitment to service.
In a career that began in the early 1970s and took him to Yale, Stanford and Emory universities before joining UC Irvine, Wallace has become world-renowned for advancing understanding of the role of mitochondrial genetic variation in human evolution and disease, thus establishing the field of mitochondrial medicine. Existing in every cell, mitochondria process oxygen and convert food substances into energy for essential cell functions. Wallace has shown that defects in mitochondrial processes can cause a multitude of problems and contribute to the development of chronic and inherited diseases.
"The induction of Doug Wallace into the Institute of Medicine is truly well-deserved," said Dr. Ralph V. Clayman, interim dean of medicine at UC Irvine. "His ongoing studies in mitochondrial genetics are groundbreaking and have tremendous implications for the future prevention and treatment of a whole host of inherited diseases."
Wallace came to UC Irvine in 2002 as the Donald Bren Professor of Molecular Medicine and founded the Center for Molecular & Mitochondrial Medicine & Genetics. The center brings together basic scientists, medical researchers and patients to determine causes and generate cures for metabolic and degenerative diseases, cancer and aging.
"I am deeply honored and grateful to be recognized for our work on diseases resulting from mitochondrial dysfunction," said Wallace, who was elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences in 1995. "The new concepts of mitochondrial medicine are revolutionizing the way we understand and treat common diseases."
The Institute of Medicine is a national resource for independent, scientifically informed analyses and recommendations on health issues. Wallace is UC Irvine's sixth institute member, and he joins Nobel laureate F. Sherwood Rowland as the only UC Irvine faculty elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.
"Doug Wallace is a passionate and visionary scientist. His knowledge of all aspects of mitochondria — from evolution to molecular genetics to aging and disease - is vast and comprehensive," said Susan V. Bryant, vice chancellor of research at UC Irvine. "In being recognized by the highest scientific body in the nation, he brings great honor and distinction to UCI by his presence."
Founded in 1965, the University of California, Irvine, is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Led by Chancellor Michael Drake since 2005, UC Irvine is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 27,000 undergraduate and graduate students, 1,100 faculty and 9,200 staff. The top employer in dynamic Orange County, UC Irvine contributes an annual economic impact of $4.2 billion. For more news, visit www.today.uci.edu.