New York, NY (November 2000) — Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., M.D., D.Phil., the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Medical College of Cornell University and an internationally renowned authority in cardiovascular disease, recently received the 2000 "Distinguished Alumnus of Vanderbilt University" award at a gala dinner in Nashville.
The award, presented by the Vanderbilt Alumni Association, cited Dr. Gotto for having "contributed greatly to our understanding of cardiovascular disease through his work as a physician, researcher, teacher, administrator, and author." Dr. Gotto received his B.A. from Vanderbilt in 1957 and his M.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1965.
A tireless researcher in the field of lipid chemistry and the role of lipoproteins in cholesterol metabolism, Dean Gotto has been the main investigator in trials that have proved the benefit of controlling cholesterol in cutting the risk of heart disease.
Between his undergraduate and medical studies at Vanderbilt, Tony Gotto was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He served his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. From 1967 to 1969, he served in the U.S. Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health, and then became a Research Associate of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
From 1971 to 1996, Dr. Gotto was a Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and served as Chairman of Internal Medicine from 1977 to 1996. In January 1997, he became Dean and Provost for Medical Affairs at Weill Cornell.
He has received numerous honors for his contributions to the medical field. He was National President of the American Heart Association in 1983-84. A member of the Institute of Medicine, he is a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy and belongs to the Order of the Lion awarded by the Republic of Finland. He has authored or co-authored more than 400 scientific papers.
On weekends and holidays, he likes to travel, sail, play tennis at a home in Maine, or just curl up with a good book. He and his wife, Anita, have three children, who are a physician, medical social worker, and investment banker, respectively.
Previous recipients of Vanderbilt's Distinguished Alumnus award are Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh; Dr. Norman E. Shumway, a pioneer in heart surgery; Cal Turner, chairman of Dollar General; and Delbert Mann, Oscar-winning film director.
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November 1, 2000
Dr. Antonio Gotto