Dr. Roberta Diaz Brinton Receives Highest Faculty Distinction as 2020 Regents’ Professor
On behalf of the University of Arizona Health Sciences community, I would like to convey my congratulations to our esteemed colleague and UArizona alumna Roberta Diaz Brinton, PhD, for her appointment today as a Regents’ Professor, a title awarded to full professors who have garnered the most distinguished accomplishments in teaching, scholarship, research or creative work.
I am delighted to join the Arizona Board of Regents in recognizing Dr. Brinton’s work and influence in Alzheimer’s disease and aging brain research, as well as her longstanding commitment to Health Sciences’ education mission in the neurosciences.
Since receiving her undergraduate and graduate education at UArizona, Dr. Brinton has built a reputation as a leading innovator in Alzheimer’s research and a dedicated mentor to faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and students. Her work has resulted in important scientific advances, including the first regenerative therapeutic for Alzheimer’s disease. There still is not a single neurodegenerative disease with a cure, making discoveries like Dr. Brinton’s vital in overcoming this difficult health challenge.
In 2016, after establishing a remarkable body of work across the United States and abroad, Dr. Brinton returned to her alma mater to establish the Center for Innovation in Brain Science (CIBS) to develop treatments and cures for age-associated neurodegenerative diseases. CIBS is designed as an integrated collaborative research environment bringing together expertise spanning basic, translational and clinical science.
Dr. Brinton was named one of the “Ten Best Minds” in 2005 by U.S. News & World Report, and she is the first female recipient of the Melvin R. Goodes Prize for Excellence in Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery. In 2010, she was awarded the Presidential Citizens Medal, the country’s highest civilian honor, in recognition of her work with STEM education and underserved students.
Please join me in applauding her for a well-deserved recognition, and in wishing her continued scientific achievements and success. We look forward to the many discoveries she will contribute to her field in the years to come.
Michael D. Dake, MD
Senior Vice President
University of Arizona Health Sciences