DALLAS — April 30, 2007 — The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has elected Dr. Luis Parada, chairman of developmental biology at UT Southwestern Medical Center, to membership. With his election, UT Southwestern now has 14 faculty members currently serving in the esteemed organization.

“There’s no higher form of honor than to be recognized by one’s peers,” Dr. Parada said. “I feel that this honor is linked to my being a member of the UT Southwestern community.”

	Dr. Luis Parada

The 227 fellows elected today include such well-known figures as former Vice President Albert Gore Jr., former Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Google chairman Eric Schmidt, Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter, and international public health leader Allan Rosenfield.

Dr. Parada, 52, directs the Kent Waldrep Center for Basic Research on Nerve Growth and Regeneration. He holds the Diana K. and Richard C. Strauss Distinguished Chair in Developmental Biology and the Southwestern Ball Distinguished Chair in Nerve Regeneration Research.

The academy’s charter was enacted in 1780 by the Massachusetts Legislature. The current membership includes more than 170 Nobel laureates and 50 Pulitzer Prize winners. An independent policy research center, the academy directs a program of projects, studies and publications regarding critical issues and current topics confronting society.

Other UT Southwestern faculty who are members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the year they were elected are:

Dr. Donald Seldin (1974), Dr. Michael Brown (1981), Dr. Joseph Goldstein (1981), Dr. Jean Wilson (1982), Dr. Alfred Gilman (1988), Dr. Daniel Foster (1992), Dr. Steven McKnight (1992), Dr. Jonathan Uhr (1993), Dr. Roger Unger (1994), Dr. Eric Olson (1998), Dr. Ellen Vitetta (2003), Dr. Eric Nestler (2005) and Dr. Helen Hobbs (2006).

Media Contact: Aline McKenzie
214-648-3404
aline.mckenzie@utsouthwestern.edu