March 2006: Michael Holick Honored by National Center for Research Resources
Michael F. Holick, M.D., Ph.D., President of Bridge to Life, Director of the Medical Advisory Board, is Honored by the National Center for Research Resources.
Boston, MA – Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., M.D. is the director of the General Clinical Research Center and Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics at Boston University Medical Center (BUSM). Hollick is a recent recipient of the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) Excellence in Clinical Research Award by the National Center for Research Resources at the NIH. Holick received this distinction at the GCRC annual meeting that was held in Washington, DC, on March 18th. He was honored for his ongoing contributions in clinical research that have touched the lives and improved the health of millions of people worldwide.
Holick, who is also the director of the Bone Healthcare Clinic and director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University Medical Center, is internationally recognized for his expertise in vitamin D, skin and bone research. His pioneering research in vitamin D nutrition has provided important insights regarding the connection between sensible sun exposure and vitamin D and its importance for improving bone health and decreasing risk of many chronic diseases including cancers of the colon, prostate and breast and hypertension and cardiovascular heart disease. He has increased the public’s awareness that upwards of 50% of both children and adults in the United States are vitamin D deficient. His group conducted the seminal study that demonstrated that vitamin D could be added to orange juice that has made a contribution to vitamin D health for the US population. Dr. Holick revolutionized the treatment for psoriasis by introducing the use of activated vitamin D compounds which have proven to be very successful and safe for both children and adults.
After completing his Ph.D. and M.D.degrees at the University of Wisconsin in 1971 and 1976 respectively, Holick joined the staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital where he did an internship and residency in medicine while simultaneously initiating a basic and clinical research program on the photobiology of vitamin D. This research has led to our understanding of the role of season, latitude, aging and skin pigmentation on the capacity of the human body to produce vitamin D.
Over the past two decades at Boston University Medical Center, Dr. Holick has made major contributions in the fields of skin disease, hair loss, osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease.
Holick has received numerous honors and awards for his innovative clinical research activities including the McCollum Award the Robert H. Herman Memorial Award in Clinical Nutrition from the American Society for Clinical Nutrition for his innovative research in the field of photobiology. He also received the Psoriasis Research Achievement Award from the America Skin Association for his novel approach for treating psoriasis.
RELATED RESOURCES
National Center for Research Resources – www..com
