The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) inducted Distinguished University Professor Bill Baker of the Department of Chemistry to its College of Fellows during a formal ceremony held in Arlington, Va. on April 13.
Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to medical and biological engineers, comprised of the top two percent of scholars in these fields. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to engineering and medicine research, practice or education and to the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.
Baker brought his research program to USF in the early 2000s.
"Bill’s recognition as an AIMBE fellow is timely and well deserved,” said Jim Leahy, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry. “His research into novel marine natural products has contributed countless new leads in the search for new potential medicines, including his discovery of the potent and selective anticancer macrolide palmerolide A.
“Natural products lay the foundation for the majority of pharmaceutically-active drugs, and Bill’s dedication to finding them from remote and challenging places ranging from Antarctic organisms or rare endophytic fungi has proven invaluable."
Baker was nominated, reviewed and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for his groundbreaking advancements in chemical analysis of natural products, particularly discovery of bioactive marine metabolites for treatment of human diseases.
"Among the greatest rewards in research is recognition by your peers,” Baker said. “I'm honored and humbled that the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering has regarded my achievements as worthy of election to their College of Fellows. I appreciate the science advocacy platform of the AIMBE and I look forward to contributing to that mission.”
With training from the University of Hawaii, Rice and Stanford University, Baker brought his research program to USF in the early 2000s, where he and his students have discovered more than 250 new marine metabolites — bioactive compounds produced by marine organisms. He has been honored as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the U.S. Board of Geographic Names recognized his contributions to Antarctic science by the designation of a geographical site in Antarctica known as “Baker Point.”