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Pamela Fraker was named Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University in 1998. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007 for her work in nutrition.
Her lab has been a pioneer in the area of nutritional-immunology. She is interested in the rapid and adverse effect malnutrition and wasting have on the immune system. They are examining apoptosis, programmed cell death, and the pivotal role it plays in development and regulation of the immune system, as well as a host of diseases including malnutrition, wasting, cancer, AIDS, Alzheimers, heart disease, stroke, neuronal damage, etc. These research interests extend to obesity and altered immune status using an obese, overfed mouse model; immune defense in morbidly obese, gastric bypass patients, impact of zinc deficiency and protein calorie deficiencies on immune defense, cellular immunology, role of glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis in regulation of lymphoiesis, utilization of flow cytometer for analysis of programmed cell death, development of flow cytometry methods, trace element biochemistry and nutrition and the induction of apoptosis by free zinc. She has many publications.
Dr. Fraker was born in Williamsport, IN and came to Purdue on a full scholarship, receiving a BS degree with honors from Purdue in 1966 and a Ph.D. from University of Illinois in 1971. Following a post-doc at University of Illinois Medical College, she joined the faculty at MSU in 1973. She received a National Research Award from NIH to fund a sabbatical at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in 1981/82. She was Graduate Program Director of the Department of Biochemistry at MSU from 1995-2000. She was Director of the Flow Cytometry Facility for MSU from 1988-2006.
In addition to examples listed above, the excellence of her research has been recognized at many levels. The College of Natural Sciences at MSU awarded her the Distinguished Faculty Award in 1995 and College of Natural Science alumni named her for a Distinguished Faculty Award in 1992. She was the Jean Andrews Lecturer at University of Texas; she received the Goldsmith Award from the American College of Nutrition and the Bio-Serv Research Award for young investigators from the American Institute of Nutrition (now the American Society of Nutrition).
She is very active at the national level, providing leadership for the annual Trace Element Conference since 1997. She currently serves on the NIH Nutritional Supplements Panel, the American Society for Nutrition Awards Committee and the National Academy of Sciences human rights committee. She has served in many capacities for NIH, FASEB, ASN and the USDA. She is also a member of the American Association of Immunologists.
As a Purdue graduate, the Department of Foods & Nutrition honors Dr. Fraker for her outstanding research and the national impact she is having in the arena of nutrition.
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