Judah Folkman

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Dr. Judah Folkman (b. 1933) is an American cellular scientist best known for his research on angiogenesis and vasculogenesis.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Folkman attended Ohio State University and then Harvard Medical School. After his graduation, he worked at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he rose to the rank of chief resident in surgery. During this time, Folkman worked on liver cancer and atrio-pacemakers. His work earned him the Boylston Medical Prize, Soma Weiss Award, and the Borden Undergraduate Award in Medicine.

Between 1960 and 1962, Folkman served for the U.S. Navy, where he studied blood vessel growth. In 1971 he published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, stating that all cancer tumors were angiogenesis-dependent. Though his hypothesis was disregarded by most experts in the field at first, Folkman continued his research. After several years, his theory became widely-accepted. He is now considered the leading expert and founder of the angiogenesis field, which now offers many potentials in medicine. He has trained numerous leaders in medicine and biomedical engineering, including Donald Ingber and Robert Langer.

In 2001, Dr. Folkman was the subject of a PBS Nova episode entitled "Cancer Warrior".

Dr. Folkman is currently Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School and is also director of the Vascular Biology Program at Children's Hospital Boston.

[edit] Quotes

• "There is a fine line between persistence and obstinacy. How does one know when this line has been crossed and when to change direction? I have come to realize that the key is to choose a problem that is worth persistent effort."
• "I had one advantage. I kept saying, 'I'm pretty sure they're wrong.'"