Bert Vogelstein, M.D.
Career Highlights

Born June 2, 1949, at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland

EDUCATION

Undergraduate degree: B.A., Mathematics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 1970

Graduate degree: M.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, 1974

POSTGRADUATE TRAINING

1974–1976: Pediatric intern and resident, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
1976–1978: Research Associate, National Cancer Institute

Which end is up? When it comes to the fine art of conducting experiments, Vogelstein was not always a gifted performer. During his first summer after medical school, Vogelstein worked in a laboratory with molecular immunologist Howard Dintzis. "He told me to pipette something. So the first question I asked him was, 'Which end do I put in my mouth?' He burst out laughing. But how would you know? I thought that was a reasonable question."

KEY APPOINTMENTS

1978, 1983, 1989: Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
1995: HHMI Investigator, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
1998: Professor of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

SELECTED HONORS, AWARDS, AND FELLOWSHIPS

Member, National Academy of Sciences
Member, Institute of Medicine
Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Member, American Philosophical Society
American Cancer Society Medal of Honor
Richard Lounsbery Award, National Academy of Sciences, for extraordinary scientific achievement in biology and medicine
Baxter Award, Association of American Medical Colleges, for distinguished research in the biomedical sciences
William Allan Award, American Society of Human Genetics, for outstanding contributions to human genetics research
Alfred G. Knudson Award, National Cancer Institute, for pioneering contributions that have revolutionized the field of cancer genetics
Charles S. Mott Prize, General Motors Cancer Research Foundation

Science All-Stars: Along with such scientific luminaries as Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, and Louis Pasteur, Vogelstein is featured on a scientist trading card.

SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Board of Reviewing Editors, Science
Associate Editor, Molecular Cell and Cancer Cell
Scientific Advisory Board, University of California, San Francisco, Cancer Center
Scientific Review Board, Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation of the United States
Scientific Advisory Board, GMP Genetics
Scientific Advisory Board, Morphotek

Professor Patent Pending: Vogelstein is listed as an inventor on 99 U.S. patents.

PUBLICATIONS

More than 300 original research articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Science, Nature, Cell, The New England Journal of Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Cancer, and Cancer Research. Review articles and editorials in numerous publications. Editor of the textbook The Genetic Basis of Human Cancer.

OUTSIDE THE LAB

Creative vegetarianism: Vogelstein became a vegetarian about 16 years ago after visiting a petting zoo with his son Jacob. "He asked, 'Daddy, how come we pet these animals here and then go home and eat them?' I didn't have a good answer," says Vogelstein. "So I stopped eating them." A typical afternoon snack: a red pepper filled with Sugar Smacks cereal. "No milk," explains postdoc Harith Rajagopalan, "because he's lactose intolerant."

Family time: Vogelstein enjoys spending time with his children—Jacob, Joshua, and Ahava—and with his siblings and their families. "Every Friday night we get together—about 30 of us—and we eat, talk, and play games," he says. Vogelstein's favorite: 20 questions. "Because it's so logical. I try to teach the kids to think logically."

Race to the top: Vogelstein is quite competitive when it comes to sports. The lab regularly holds basketball and tennis tournaments, and he even races students and postdocs up the three flights of stairs to the lab. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to get some exercise," explains Shibin Zhou, now an assistant professor in the Vogelstein lab. "But Bert had to turn it into a competition. I'm a lot younger than he is, so I beat him," says Zhou. "But he just wouldn't stop until he won."

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