Robert Hunter Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Distinguished Chair in Molecular Pathology and chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School, has received two prestigious awards.
The Board of Directors of the Houston Society of Clinical Pathologists honored Hunter with the Harlan J. Spjut Award in April at the Houstonian Hotel.
Established in 1989, the Harlan J. Spjut Award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated sustained and distinguished scholarly activities, teaching, leadership, patient care and service to pathology.
Hunter also received the Gold-Headed Cane Award from the Association of Clinical Scientists at the group's 135th meeting in Salt Lake City in May.
The Association's Awards Committee, at its discretion, awards a Gold-Headed Cane to a Fellow of the Association who by long and distinguished service has become exemplary of the clinical and scientific aspirations of the Association, and who has attained international recognition as a leader in clinical science. This award has been made only 12 times since founding the association in 1949.
Hunter joined the medical school as distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in 1997. He is also chief of service for pathology at both Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and Harris Health System's Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. He received his medical degree and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, where he also completed postgraduate training in anatomic and clinical pathology.
His clinical and research interests include reengineering outpatient laboratory medicine, immunopathology, infectious disease and the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.
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