2002 BASHOUR LECTURESHIP HELD
Dr.Judah Folkman, a leader in the field of angiogenesis, was the guest speaker at the 28th annual Fouad A. and Val Imm Bashour Distinguished Lectureship in Physiology. This lectureship, sponsored by the Department of Physiology, was held at UT Southwestern on March 4, 2002.
Over 250 people crowded the lecture hall to hear Folkman, Andrus professor of pediatric surgery at Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and member of the National Academy of Sciences and several other honorary organizations. His presentation was entitled “Regulation of Angiogenesis in Physiological and Pathological States.” Folkman developed the theory of angiogenesis, which postulates that tumors cannot grow without a blood supply. He hypothesized that tumors secrete a factor that stimulates the growth of new blood vessels, which serve to bring nutrients to the tumor, thereby allowing it to grow. Dr. Folkman proposed that if the new blood vessel growth to the tumor could be blocked, an entirely new way to treat cancer, with fewer negative side effects, might result. His results not only have important implications for the treatment of cancer, but also diabetic retinopathy and cardiovascular disease. Although his unconventional ideas led to much controversy within the scientific community in years past, his discoveries on the mechanism of angiogenesis have served to open a field of investigation now pursued worldwide.
Dr. Fouad Bashour, a clinical professor of physiology and internal medicine, joined the faculty of UT Southwestern in 1959. He became a professor in 1971. As a result of his dedication to scientific and medical education, Dr. Bashour was awarded the Ashbel Smith Professorship in 1999, an honor bestowed by the UT System. Dr. Bashour has conducted extensive research in cardiovascular diseases and is a noted cardiologist.
Bashour established The Fouad A. and Val Imm Bashour Fund for Distinguished Lecturers in Physiology in 1974 to bring prominent scientists to our campus each year to present research findings that are on the cutting edge of science.
