The prestigious award, bestowed every four years, honors the top international researcher in kidney-stone disease, as chosen by his or her peers.
Dr. Pak, who came to UT Southwestern in 1972, has been at the forefront of research and development of treatment methodologies for both kidney stones and osteoporosis. He and his research team in UT Southwestern's mineral metabolism group have carefully studied more than 3,000 kidney stone patients and another 3,500 individuals with osteoporosis during the past three decades. Their findings have culminated in the development of several drugs used worldwide including Citracal for the prevention of osteoporosis and Urocit-K for the control of kidney stones as well as widely recognized diagnostic methods for measuring the risk factors for kidney stones.
"I've known and worked with Dr. Pak for more than 25 years in numerous roles and continue to follow his recommendations and principles, based on his research and management techniques for kidney disease," said Dr. Martin Resnick, chairman of urology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and president of the American Urological Association.
"Translational research is a term used today to describe medical breakthroughs that come out of a lab and are transferred to the bedside. Dr. Pak's research epitomizes this term," Dr. Resnick said. "He has identified key problems related to kidney-stone disease and developed treatment programs and patient evaluation methodologies that are used on a day-to-day basis worldwide."
Dr. Kern Wildenthal, president of UT Southwestern, praised Dr. Pak's selection. "During the past three
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Contact: Donna Steph Hansard
donna.hansard@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
27-May-2004