UC Neurologist, Lipid Researcher Awarded College's Top Honor

CINCINNATI—A neurologist and a lipid researcher have been selected to receive the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Medicine’s top honor.

Joseph Broderick, MD, professor and chairman of UC’s neurology department, and Patrick Tso, PhD, professor and director of UC’s Lipid Biology Group, will receive Daniel Drake Medals—the college’s most prestigious award given to distinguished living faculty and alumni—Saturday, May 22, during a dinner at the Queen City Club.

"The 2010 Drake Medal winners represent the best of our college in terms of its commitment to research excellence, patient care and education,” says David Stern, MD, vice president for health affairs and College of Medicine dean. "Drs. Broderick and Tso have both developed strong programs in their respective fields, are internationally known for their work and serve as great examples for our faculty and students.”

Broderick, co-director of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Team, has been chairman of UC’s neurology department since 2000. A 1982 UC College of Medicine graduate, Broderick was ranked first in his medical school class. He completed his neurologic training and cerebrovascular fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

An internationally recognized expert on the acute treatment of stroke, Broderick led studies in the 1980s that led to the approval of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) for the treatment of ischemic stroke. He is considered a leader on the epidemiology of stroke and causes and management of hemorrhagic stroke.

Broderick has authored more than 610 publications and has received numerous awards, including the 2003 William M. Feinberg Award for Excellence in Clinical Stroke.

Tso obtained his PhD from the University of Western Australia in 1978 and was recruited to UC from Louisiana State University in 1996. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of intestinal lipid metabolism and diet-induced obesity. He, along with colleague David Hui, PhD, formed the Lipid Research Group, and also played a role in the establishment of UC’s Obesity Research Center.

It was nearly 10 years ago when Tso led the successful application for UC’s National Institutes of Health-supported Mouse Metabolic Phenotyping Center—a resource for researches at UC and across the country. 

In 2008 Tso became director of the Physician Scientist Training Program. He is the recipient of a Research Career Development Award from the NIH and was appointed to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council in 2006.

The Daniel Drake Medal was created in 1985 as part of the 200th anniversary of the birth of its founder, pioneering physician Daniel Drake. Nominations for the Daniel Drake Medal are based on outstanding or unique contributions to medical education, scholarship or research. Considered the highest honor awarded by the College of Medicine, the Daniel Drake Medals are awarded annually.

See a list of past Daniel Drake Medal winners.