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Richard Pestell, MD, PhD, President of Pennsylvania Cancer and Regenerative Medicine Research Center at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, receives the Order of Australia

DOYLESTOWN, PA (June 10, 2019): The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute proudly announces that Richard G. Pestell, MD, PhD, Distinguished Blumberg Professor and President of the Pennsylvania Cancer and Regenerative Medicine Research Center at the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute, is to receive the appointment of the Order of Australia. The Order of Australia (“AO”) was established in 1975 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Originally from Perth, Australia, Dr. Pestell is a world-renowned cancer physician scientist, who joined the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute in January 2017 to establish and lead the Pennsylvania Cancer and Regenerative Medicine Research Center and international research center.

 

In the Australian honors system appointments to the Order of Australia confer the highest recognition for outstanding achievement and service.  The Officer of the Order of Australia is awarded for distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or humanity at large. Dr. Pestell’s appointment was formally announced as part of the Queen’s Birthday 2019 Honors List on June 10; he will be presented with the award at an investiture ceremony later this year.

 

Dr. Pestell is being recognized for his outstanding leadership and significant contributions to global cancer research and care. His innovative research is focused on cancer growth and metastasis including cancer stem cells, cell cycles, and breast and prostate cancers. He is ranked # 1 in the world by Google Scholar for the number of citations of his published works for prostate cancer and #1 for cell-cycle. He has patents in the areas of cancer diagnostics, therapeutics and photonic activation gene therapy technologies.  

 

“Dr. Pestell is one of the world’s leading cancer scientists and we are delighted that Dr. Pestell received this well-deserved recognition.   We are proud to have him on our faculty” says Timothy M. Block, PhD, President of the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute. 

 

Dr. Pestell holds a medical degree from the University of Western Australia, and a PhD from the University of Melbourne, Howard Florey Institute. He conducted clinical training in oncology and endocrinology and was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Physicians. His postdoctoral research at the Harvard School of Medicine and Massachusetts General Hospital with Dr. Larry Jameson focused on endocrine oncology. He completed his executive MBA from New York University Stern School of Business in 2011. He has received many awards for his research discoveries including elected membership to ASCI (American Society of Clinical Investigation), Elected Member, Royal Society of Medicine, the RD Wright Medallion, Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Eric Susman Prize in Medicine, Advance Global Australian Award (Biotechnology), a Doctor of Medical Sciences, HonorisCausa, from the University of Melbourne, and awards from Susan G. Komen (Light of Life award, Jamie Brooke Lieberman Award). He has several issued patents in biotechnology, diagnostics and cancer therapeutics.

 

Other Australians working on the US who have receive the order of Australia include Mr. Rupert Murdoch (Companion) and Dr. Bruce Stillman (Officer), President of Cold Spring Harbor.  

 

 

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About the Baruch S. Blumberg Institute: The Baruch S. Blumberg Institute is an independent, nonprofit research institute established in 2003 by the Hepatitis B Foundation to conduct discovery research and nurture translational biotechnology in an environment conducive to interaction, collaboration and focus. It was renamed in 2013 to honor Baruch S. Blumberg, who won the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the hepatitis B virus and co-founded the Hepatitis B Foundation. To learn more, visit www.blumberginstitute.org.

 

About the Pennsylvania Cancer and Regenerative Medicine Research Center: The Pennsylvania Cancer and Regenerative Medicine Research Center (PCARMRC) is part of an international hub-and-spoke model for regenerative medical inquiry, spearheading research and collaborating with similar centers around the world.  The interface between cancer, stem cells, and regeneration is at an historic moment.  Recent breakthroughs in cancer immune therapy have resulted in new biotechnology companies and value for patient’s lives.  New discoveries in regenerative medicine are at a similar discovery tipping point. To learn more, visit www.pcarmrc.org.