Scott Grundy Symposium

About the Symposium

Join us for the Scott Grundy Symposium honoring the life and legacy of Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D., founder of the UT Southwestern Center for Human Nutrition. This special event will feature distinguished speakers whose work has been shaped by Dr. Grundy’s groundbreaking research and celebrate his enduring impact on science, medicine, and our academic community. The symposium is free, and lunch will be provided.

In memoriam: Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D.

Scott Grundy, M.D., Ph.D., Professor in the Center for Human Nutrition and in the Department of Internal Medicine, died on Jan. 29, 2025, at the age of 91. His research on the metabolic determinants of atherosclerosis has been instrumental in formulating approaches to prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. His death represents a great loss for the entire UT Southwestern community and beyond.

Dr. Grundy earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, where he subsequently completed an internship in internal medicine and a residency in pathology. He pursued a Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University and stayed there for his first faculty position. He also served as a member of the faculties of the National Institutes of Health Phoenix Clinical Research Unit and the University of California San Diego.

In 1981, Dr. Grundy joined UT Southwestern as founding Director of the Center for Human Nutrition – the first such enterprise at an American medical school – established through a generous gift from Peter O’Donnell Jr. and his wife, Edith. Over the course of 32 years, he oversaw the Center’s mission to offer a place where faculty could pursue independent research into the role of nutrition in the development of cardiovascular disease and application of those insights for disease treatment and prevention; provide education on nutrition for health professionals; determine the impact of diet on human health and the mechanisms through which those effects occur; and develop educational programs and consultation services for the community.

Dr. Grundy’s scientific contributions, published in more than 400 papers, spanned multiple fields related to nutrition, metabolism, and cardiovascular risk. His work influenced the development of new techniques to study pathways of cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism, clarified the function of monosaturated fat in diet, and demonstrated the effectiveness of statins to lower blood cholesterol levels. The latter studies played a pivotal role in the approval of these medications now used by tens of millions of patients worldwide and which helped to “bend the curve” of mortality and morbidity from cardiovascular disease. His research also led to better understanding of the mechanisms underlying gallstone formation and suggested new options for treatment. Notably, Dr. Grundy’s seminal work shaped dietary and therapeutic guidelines for the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemias and obesity.

His discoveries advancing biomedical science have been recognized with multiple honors, including election to the National Academy of Medicine (1995), the Bristol-Myers Squibb/Mead Johnson Award for Distinguished Achievement in Nutrition Research (1997), the American Heart Association Discovery Award (2000), and the Pioneer in Prevention Award from the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (2022).

During his time at UT Southwestern, Dr. Grundy trained more than 100 research fellows and successfully mentored numerous young faculty, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers of their own. His work has made an indelible mark on the scientific community, and his impact will be felt for generations to come.