CONWAY, Ark. (April 2, 2014) – Hendrix
alumnus Dr. John Byrd will receive the University of Arkansas for Medical
Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus Award at the Dean's
Honor Day this month.
Byrd, a 1987 Hendrix graduate and a 1991 UAMS
College of Medicine graduate, is currently the Director of the Division of
Hematology and the D. Warren Brown Chair of Leukemia Research at The Ohio State
University.
A very accomplished physician-scientist, Byrd
has spent most of his career in developing and testing new therapeutics for
chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). John had a first author New England Journal of Medicine
publication on July 4, 2013 reporting a pivotal trial of the use of ibrutinib
in the treatment of CLL. Ibrutinib is a first-in-class, oral inhibitor of
Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), which is an essential component of
B-cell-receptor signaling. Based on this pivotal trial by Dr. Byrd and
his associates, the FDA approved ibrutinib for the treatment of CLL in
February.
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal
arts and sciences education. For the sixth consecutive year, Hendrix was named
one of the country’s “Up and Coming” liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the latest edition of Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges,
as well as the 2014 Princeton Review’s The Best 378 Colleges, Forbes
magazine's list of America's Top Colleges, and the 2014 Fiske
Guide to Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church
since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.