Victor Dzau Explained

Victor J. Dzau
Birth Name:Victor Joseph Dzau
Birth Date:23 October 1945
Birth Place:Shanghai, China
Spouse:Ruth Cooper
Children:2
Fields:Cardiovascular medicine and genetics
Workplaces:Duke University
Education:McGill University (BS, MD)
Known For:Development of angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
Pioneer in gene therapy for vascular disease

Victor Joseph Dzau (;[1] born 23 October 1945) is a Chinese-American doctor and academic. He serves as the President of the United States National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine[2]) of the United States National Academy of Sciences. He was previously the president and CEO of Duke University Medical Center.

Biography

Dzau was born in Shanghai, Republic of China. His father owned a chemical manufacturing company. He and his family fled to Hong Kong to escape from the Chinese Civil War.[3] He received both his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and his M.D. (in 1972) from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.[4] [5]

Dzau was the Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and served as Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital (1996-2004), as well as Chief of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine and later Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Stanford University (1990-1996).[6] [7] He then became the Chancellor for Health Affairs at Duke University and President and CEO of the Duke University Medical Center.[8] Dzau is currently the James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke University. In July 2014, he was elected for a six-year term (renewable) as President of the then Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine).[9] He is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He was the previously the Chairman of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Cardiovascular Disease Advisory Committee, and he served on the Advisory Committee to the Director of NIH.

Dzau's research involved the development of angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are used globally for the treatment of high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. He examined gene therapy for vascular disease, being the first to introduce DNA decoy molecules to block transcriptions as gene therapy in humans.[4]

Dzau's wife, Ruth, is the president of The Second Step, a nonprofit charitable organization that provides housing and transnational programs for domestic violence victims. They have two daughters, Jacqueline and Merissa.[10] Dzau is on the honor roll of the Jewish Federation of Durham Chapel Hill and has been a speaker at the Federation's Ignite talks.[11] [12]

Honors and awards

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 香港大學名譽博士學位畢業生 – 曹文凱. Hong Kong University. 2018-10-12.
  2. Web site: Institute of Medicine to Become National Academy of Medicine. https://archive.today/20150428172603/http://www.iom.edu/Global/News%20Announcements/IOM-to-become-NAM-Press-Release.aspx. dead. 28 April 2015.
  3. 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61073-4 . Victor Dzau: Change and controversy at the Institute of Medicine . The Lancet . 383 . 9936 . 2203 . 2014 . Watts . Geoff . 24976319 . 205973605 .
  4. Web site: McGill alumnus Victor J. Dzau, M.D., to be Next Institute of Medicine President : Health e-News.
  5. Web site: Victor Dzau, M.D. . 20 February 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20050211234355/http://www.dukemednews.org/gallery/detail.php?id=1194 . February 11, 2005 .
  6. Dzau VJ. Bench to Bedside Discovery, Innovation, Global Health Equity, and Security: A Conversation With Victor J. Dzau, MD. . Circulation . 2021 . 143 . 11 . 1076-1080 . 33720778 . 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.054151 .
  7. Web site: Victor Dzau Leaving Duke To Head The Institute Of Medicine. Larry. Husten. Forbes.
  8. Web site: Dzaus Kick Off We Build People Campaign – YMCA. www.ymcatriangle.org. 2018-02-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20181012134743/https://www.ymcatriangle.org/blog/dzaus-kick-we-build-people-campaign. 2018-10-12. dead.
  9. http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/Global/News%20Announcements/IOM-Announces-Next-President.aspx IOM Announces Next President
  10. Web site: Victor J. Dzau, MD, Selected to Lead Duke University Health System. 2018-02-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20190502211058/https://today.duke.edu/2004/04/dzau_0404.html. 2019-05-02. dead.
  11. Web site: Dr Dzau: From Cancer to Community – The Future of Healthcare Systems and Hospitals. Sheldon. Becker. 8 March 2014. Vimeo.
  12. Web site: 2013 Honor Roll – Jewish Federation of Durham-Chapel Hill. 2018-03-24. 2018-07-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081640/https://www.shalomdch.org/philanthropist/meet-our-philanthropists/honor-roll/2013-honor-roll/. dead.
  13. News: Victor J. Dzau . 10 September 2023 . Academia Sinica.
  14. Web site: 中国工程院2019年院士增选结果. 2019-11-22. Chinese Academy of Engineering. zh. 2020-01-19.
  15. Web site: Doctor, A*Star engineer named honorary citizens. Begum. Shabana. 2019-04-27. The Straits Times. en. 2020-02-21.