CONWAY, Ark. (December 14, 2016) – Hendrix College alumnus
Dr. Alan Tackett ’98 was recently named the inaugural recipient of the Scharlau
Family Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Arkansas for
Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine.
A tenured professor of biochemistry and molecular biology with
secondary appointments in pathology and pediatrics, Dr. Tackett serves as
director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutional Development
Award (IDeA) National Resource for Proteomics, director of the NIH Arkansas
INBRE Research Technology Core, director of the UAMS Graduate School
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program and track, director of the Arkansas
Children’s Research Institute’s Developmental Proteomics Laboratory, and
co-director of the UAMS Proteomics Facility. He oversees three biomedical
research laboratories on the UAMS campus and one at the Arkansas Children’s
Research Institute.
A chemistry major at Hendrix, Tackett was introduced to
biomedical research in the UAMS laboratory of Hendrix alumnus Dr. Kevin Raney ’86,
professor and chair of the Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the UAMS College of Medicine, by Tackett’s
undergraduate mentor Hendrix chemistry professor Dr. Tom Goodwin. Tackett
joined Raney’s laboratory at UAMS in 1998 to pursue his Ph.D. in biochemistry
and molecular biology, which he completed in 2002.
“Dr. Tackett’s expertise as an academic
research scientist is evident not only through his work in the lab, which I
have witnessed since he came to work with me 1998, but also by the influence he
has on countless students and colleagues. He has served in more than 50
NIH-associated laboratories and as co-investigator for more than 20 NIH grants.
We at UAMS are honored to work with Dr. Tackett and benefit from his knowledge
first hand,” said Dr. Raney.
Tackett joined the Laboratory of Mass Spectrometry and
Gaseous Ion Chemistry at The Rockefeller University in New York as an NIH
Postdoctoral Fellow in proteomics before returning to UAMS in 2005.
Tackett’s research involves using advanced technology to
discover molecular pathways essential for the development of new therapies and
finding new biological markers to assist in developing personalized treatment
for each patient’s specific needs. His research has been continuously funded by
the National Institutes of Health (NIH) throughout his career, and his research
endeavors have resulted in more than 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He has
written multiple book chapters, been awarded four U.S. patents, acted as a
scientific journal editor-in-chief, and served on more than 35 NIH
extramural-funding review panels.
Established by a gift from Charles E. Scharlau III, retired
chairman and CEO of Southwestern Energy Company, the Scharlau Family Endowed Chair
will be used to further Tackett’s research efforts aimed at discovering new
approaches to detect and treat metastatic melanoma, the most dangerous form of
skin cancer.
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About
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway,
Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since
1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges and is
nationally recognized in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings for
academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For more information, visit
www.hendrix.edu.