A Personal Tribute

Abstract

This issue of Current Drug Metabolism is dedicated to Professor Ian A. Blair of the University of Pennsylvania in honor of his scientific and professional achievements in the field of mass spectrometry for the analysis of lipids, xenobiotics, proteomics, lipidomics, genomics and DNA adducts, on the occasion of his 60th birthday. Dr. Blair has made pioneering and monumental contributions to the field of drug metabolism, chemistry, pharmacology and mass spectrometry in the last 35 years. We are privileged to dedicate this issue for his contributions. Dr. Blair received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and his doctoral degree in Organic Chemistry from the Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London, UK with Nobel Laureate Sir Derek HR Barton. After working for five years as a Research Fellow in Uganda and Australia, Dr. Blair joined Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London as a lecturer of Analytical Chemistry and advanced to Senior Lecturer in 1982. Dr Blair moved to the Vanderbilt University, Nashville in 1983 as a Professor of Pharmacology and Chemistry, and Director of Mass Spectrometry Center. In 1997, Dr. Blair moved to Department of Pharmacology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia as an A.N. Richards Professor of Pharmacology and Chemistry. Dr Blair is also a Scientific Director, Genomics Institute Proteomics Facility and Director, Systems Biology, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Blair has made numerous outstanding contributions to the field of drug metabolism and mass spectrometry, especially in developing of sensitive, selective and novel mass spectrometric techniques, for the analysis of endogenous and exogenous compounds from biological matrices. He has also made a significant contribution to the characterization of covalent modifications to macromolecules, and determination of the factors that control lipid hydroperoxide-mediated damage to DNA, RNA, and proteins. Dr Blair received the 2005 Beynon Prize from Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry for his contribution to this field. He was elected as to a fellowship in the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2005. Dr. Blair was cited for his “distinguished contributions to the field of mass spectrometry and its applications to pharmaceutical medicine and for moving autacoid biology forward with sensitive bioanalytical techniques”. In 2006, he was elected to a fellowship in the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists for his distinguished contribution to the pharmaceutical sciences. Dr. Blair is not only an outstanding researcher, but also an admirable educator. Many of his former graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are making major contributions to the drug metabolism field in pharmaceutical industry and academic research. Dr Blair is considered by colleagues as “an excellent teacher, who has had very substantial impact on chemistry, pharmacology and mass spectrometry through his students”. His superb ability to encourage and develop people as well as his undergraduate and graduate teaching efforts have infected many talented students with an enthusiasm for mass spectrometry, chemistry and pharmacology. In 2006, Dr Blair was awarded the University of Pennsylvania Deans Award for excellence in Graduate Student Training. He has helped all of us as students and as professionals and influenced our careers and lives. The lessons in scientific vision, persistence, independence, creativity and self-criticism he has practiced throughout his career can serve as an inspiration to any scientist. Dr. Blair has had very substantial impact in the field of drug metabolism and chemistry both as a researcher and as an extraordinary teacher with a positive, inspiring, and long-lasting effect on his colleagues, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. Few scientists can claim such a fruitful career. We would like to thank all the authors for their great contributions to this issue.