Dr John Pezzuto, Dean of LIU Pharmacy and Vice President, LIU Health and Research, received an honorary doctorate from Roskilde University in Denmark. Dr Pezzuto received the honour at a ceremony held on 15 September, for his groundbreaking research on resveratrol.
Ole Vang, Associate Professor for the Department of Science and Environment at Roskilde University, said: “Professor Pezzuto is one of the pivotal scientists in the field of the health effects of resveratrol and derivatives.
“The breakthrough paper from January 1997 in the international journal Science showed the potential cancer preventive effect of resveratrol on skin cancer in mice.”
The 1997 paper was the jumping off point for a second round of resveratrol research that led to the understanding of the health effects of resveratrol including cancer-prevention, longevity and obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Resveratrol is found in various edible plants including grapes, peanuts and berries. According to the Web of Science Core Collection, Dr Pezzuto’s work on resveratrol has been cited more than 3000 times.
“I am honoured to receive this recognition from Roskilde University,” Dr Pezzuto said. “But more importantly, I am honoured to work with my colleagues in the international research community to advance our understanding of how resveratrol can help improve our health.”
The prestigious degree was given in a ceremony attended by students, faculty and the greater scientific community in Denmark. Prior to the ceremony, Dr Pezzuto gave a lecture at Roskilde University titled The Life and Times of Resveratrol.
Dr Pezzuto is a world-renowned researcher and the 2014 recipient of the Volwiler Research Award by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.
His current research interests are predominantly in the areas of biology-driven natural product drug discovery and characterisation, with primary emphasis in the fields of cancer chemotherapy and cancer chemoprevention.