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Bert L. Vallee, M.D.

Edgar M. Bronfman Distinguished Senior Professor, Harvard Medical School; Founder and President of the Endowment and the CBBSM (Center for Biochemical & Biophysical Sciences & Medicine).

Biography

Dr. Bert Lester Vallee, (June 1,1919 - May 7, 2010), received his M.D degree from New York University in 1943 and subsequently held positions at [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] and [Harvard Medical School] in Medicine and Biochemistry. Dr. Vallee has been a member of the Medical and Science Faculty of Harvard University since 1948. He was the Founding Director of the Biophysics Research Laboratory at Harvard (predecessor to the CBBSM), which was established in 1954 by [The Rockefeller Foundation]. From 1964-1989, Dr. Vallee held the Paul C. Cabot Professorship of Biochemistry, and since 1980 he has held the Edgar M. Bronfman Distinguished Senior Professorship at Harvard.

His primary research had been in zinc [enzymology], a field he was credited with establishing and for which he received the Raulin Award. His work on alcohol [dehydrogenase], a zinc enzyme, led to his interest in the study of the molecular basis of alcohol use and abuse. Dr. Vallee was an expert on emission spectroscopy and the author of more than 600 scientific publications including books.

He was an Honorary Professor of Tsinghua University, Beijing, China; [Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry], Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; and Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa. He was a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA and the Royal Danish Academy, and held Honorary Degrees from the [Karolinska Institute], Stockholm, the University Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Naples, and the [Ludwig Maximillian University], Munich. He was awarded the Order Andres Bello First Class of the [Republic of Venezuela], and the Gibbs, Linderstrρm Lang, and Rose Medals.

The Bert L. & N. Kuggie Vallee Foundation

Mission and the Vallee Visiting Professorship

The Bert L. and N. Kuggie Vallee Foundation, http://thevalleefoundation.org/, a private operated organization, was established in 1996 by Bert L and N. Kuggie Vallee. It was created to cultivate, refine, and implement a vision for scientific research and medical education with particular appreciation for originality, creativity, individuality, and leadership.

The main objective of the Foundation is to generate opportunities for unique intellectual endeavors that would not otherwise be available without our sponsorship.

The purpose for which the [Vallee Foundation] is formed is to contribute to the advancement of medical education and medical science by:

- Promoting the development of interdisciplinary sciences related to human health by supporting interactions between productive scientists both in the United States and abroad;

- Promoting dialogue between productive scientists and nonscientists who can promote the practical application of scientific research;

- Sponsoring and/or organizing short-term visiting professorships, symposia, tutorials and lectures; and

- Engaging in such other activities of a nature consistent with the foregoing purpose as the directors of the corporation determine to be proper and appropriate.

Primarily, the Foundation’s efforts have been devoted to programs for visiting professors and fellows. The one month visits, typical of the Foundation, have been a great success in providing adequate time to plan research, conduct experiments, and establish meaningful academic relationships.

To date, twenty-five Vallee Visiting Professors (“VVPs”) have been elected and served at Harvard, Oxford, the [Karolinska Institute], and the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Looking forward, the [Vallee Foundation] aims for continued success in identifying unique individuals while expanding the network of innovative enterprises. The opportunity to explore new avenues of intellectual pursuit is, ultimately, presented to identify more effective methods of joint research.