The Robert F. Furchgott Society

During the 1950s, Dr. Robert Furchgott developed a method for determining how blood vessels respond to medications, neurotransmitters, and hormones, using a piece of rabbit aorta cut in the form of a helix. This novel methodology allowed him to determine the effects of drugs on vascular smooth muscle. In his early research, he discovered that vascular smooth muscle relaxes when exposed to ultraviolet light, a phenomenon known as photo-relaxation. Dr. Furchgott's major research advances came in 1980, when he discovered a substance produced by endothelial cells that causes relaxation of vascular smooth muscle. He called this substance endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). This substance was later identified as nitric oxide. On October 12, 1998, Dr. Furchgott received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Dr. Furchgott's discoveries have helped scientists understand and discover new treatments for cardiovascular diseases and a host of other conditions, ranging from immune disorders to memory loss, pulmonary diseases, and erectile dysfunction.

The entire course of Dr. Furchgott's prize-winning research was performed at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. In 2005, Dr. Alfred Stracher, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, suggested the establishment of the Robert F. Furchgott Society as a tribute to his outstanding achievements and research contributions. In its first two years, the Society provided awards to graduating PhD students for Excellence in Research. In 2007, under the leadership of Dr. Richard Macchia, Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus, the Society expanded its award funding mechanisms to include travel awards to residents and postdoctoral fellows to support research presentations at scientific conferences, as well as an Outstanding Research Award to a graduating medical student. The Society also established the annual Visiting Professorship Lecture during Dr. Macchia's tenure. The current Society President is Dr. Henri Tiedge, Professor of Physiology/Pharmacology and Neurology, and the Society Vice President is Dr. Daniel Rosenbaum, Professor and Chairman of Neurology. Under their leadership, the Society has further enhanced the impact of its research awards with the establishment of the Robert F. Furchgott Scholar award.